Delta Air Lines, which has pledged to have net-zero emissions by 2050, plans to fuel its jets with “sustainable aviation fuel” to reduce its carbon footprint.
The world’s third largest airline in passenger volume and Utah’s largest carrier, Delta this week announced new efforts to operate more sustainably. The plans include reducing plastics and converting ground equipment to electric power, but the most significant part of the push is committing to and investing in new fuels.
Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is biofuel produced from plant materials rather than fossil fuels. It still releases climate-harming carbon dioxide when it’s burned in jet engines, but that release is offset by the carbon dioxide that is captured when the plants are growing.
SAF is two to three times more expensive than regular jet fuel, so right now the airline is only using it at five airports where there are incentives offered to use it: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam and London, according to Emily Pitchford, spokesperson for Delta.