Delta Air Lines announces $1B deal to buy sustainable aviation fuel

Delta Air Lines has agreed to buy 250 million gallons of sustainable fuel as part of a 10-year deal estimated to be worth over $1 billion. 

The fuel would lessen the airline company’s carbon footprint as it seeks to replace 10 percent of its conventional fuel use with sustainable fuel by the end of 2030, according to a press release from renewable fuels company Aemetis.

The airline is expected to start using sustainable fuel in 2024, the release said. 

In March 2020, Delta also committed to carbon neutrality moving forward.

“When Delta committed to being carbon neutral, we also committed to continued investment and collaboration with others in the industry,” Delta’s Managing Director of Sustainability Amelia DeLuca said in Aemetis’s release. 

Sustainable fuel is similar to fossil fuel in its chemistry, but is made from various types of biomass, feedstocks and waste.  

Delta is just one of several companies that have pledged to use more of the fuel.

On Wednesday, JetBlue Airways said it would purchase sustainable fuel from bioenergy firm SG Preston to use for flights from New York City in a deal valued at $1 billion.

United Airlines also announced a 20-year sustainable fuel deal with Alder Fuels earlier this month.

These agreements come as the Biden administration aims to boost sustainable fuel output amid criticism from environmental groups about the airline industry’s significant carbon footprint, according to Reuters.