Delta advances sustainability commitments with new offtake agreement

New York — Delta Air Lines has announced an offtake agreement for sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, that may be produced by Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels, the carrier announced Thursday.

The agreement follows the airline's late-2019 investment in a feasibility study to explore the potential for NWABF to develop a SAF production in the Pacific Northwest that could supplement the airlines fuel needs for its operations along the West Coast.

While the feasibility study has not been completed, it explores the concept of a production facility in Washington state that could theoretically supply Delta in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

"This focused study and long-term agreement will support Delta's goals to lower our carbon footprint aggressively. Investing in developing multiple sources of sustainable aviation fuel is one of the many ways we are looking to address climate change," said Alison Lathrop, Delta's managing director for global environment, sustainability and compliance.

In December, Delta established another offtake agreement for SAF with Gevo, which develops the renewable fuel from industrial corn products. Product is expected to be available for the airline's use between 2022-2023.

Delta has previously pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050 as the global airlines industry targets carbon-neutral growth beginning this year under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme.

SAF is a renewable alternative to traditional jet fuel which can be combined with its fossil fuel-based counterpart in blends up to 50% to reduce aircrafts' carbon footprint without any alterations to existing fuel infrastructure.