United Airlines has today announced that they will use 10 million gallons of SAF for 2023, around three times more than in 2022. The carrier will also begin using a SAF blend on flights departing San Francisco, and later this year at London Heathrow.
On Thursday (May 4, 2023), United Airlines announced that they will triple their SAF usage in 2023 compared to last year to 10 million gallons. The carrier will also begin using a blend of SAF for flights departing San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and later this year at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). To date, United has invested in the future production of over five billion gallons of SAF. The carrier has used SAF blends at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) since 2016, and at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) since 2022. SAF deliveries commenced at SFO in April, with United receiving 1.5 million gallons for departing flights. The remaining SAF supply will be used at Los Angeles and Amsterdam, while London Heathrow is expected to begin receiving SAF deliveries later in 2023.
In Thursday’s announcement, United Airlines’ Chief Sustainability Officer, Lauren Riley, said,
“It’s remarkable to see that in just a few years United has exponentially increased its SAF use. While 10 million gallons of SAF in 2023 represents a fraction of what we need, we have also made big investments in producers that are using everything from ethanol to algae, to CO2, to help increase our available future supply. We believe these investments, along with our continued collaboration with policymakers, cross-industry businesses, and other airlines will help us scale this brand-new industry to achieve comparable success to solar and wind.”
The SAF being used by United in San Francisco and Amsterdam is provided by Neste. The Neste MY Aviation Fuel™ is produced from sustainably-sourced, 100 percent renewable waste and residue raw materials such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. Over the fuel’s life cycle, the use of SAF can reduce GHG emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.
Source: United Airlines/PRNewswire