On Wednesday, United Airlines will fly right into the history books, operating the world’s first-ever commercial aircraft full of passengers using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The plane, a new United 737 MAX 8 carrying more than 100 people, will fly direct from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Washington D.C.’s Reagan International Airport.
SAF, an alternative fuel made with non-petroleum feedstocks, already having agreements to purchase nearly twice as much SAF as the known agreements of all other global airlines combined. SAF has the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel but with a fraction of its carbon footprint. According to figures from the U.S. Department of Energy, provided by United Airlines, existing U.S. feedstock resources are enough to meet the projected fuel demand of the entire U.S. aviation industry.
“United continues to lead from the front when it comes to climate change action,” said United CEO Scott Kirby, who will fly onboard today’s historic SAF flight. “Today’s SAF flight is not only a significant milestone for efforts to decarbonize our industry, but when combined with the surge in commitments to produce and purchase alternative fuels, we’re demonstrating the scalable and impactful way companies can join together and play a role in addressing the biggest challenge of our lifetimes.”
The demo flight will use 500 gallons of drop-in ready SAF in one engine and the same amount of conventional jet fuel in the other engine to further prove there are no operational differences between the two and to set the stage for more scalable uses of SAF by all airlines in the future. Currently, airlines are only permitted to use a maximum of 50 percent SAF on board.
United is running the flight in partnership with Boeing, CFM International, Virent – a subsidiary of Marathon Oil – whose technology enables 100 percent drop-in SAF, and World Energy – the world’s first and North America’s only commercial SAF producer. United’s Kirby will be joined by executives from each of those companies on today’s flight along with other business leaders, government officials, NGOs and members of the media (note: Investable Universe is not part of this historic flight).
“Boeing is proud to support United on this historic event as we work together to make aviation more sustainable,” said Boeing Senior VP of Sales and Marketing Ihssane Mounir. “As an industry, we are committed to addressing climate change, and sustainable aviation fuels are the most measurable solution to reduce aviation carbon emissions in the coming decades. No one entity can decarbonize aviation alone and it will require partnerships like this to ensure aviation is safe and sustainable for future generations.”
“We are honored to be part of this landmark event,” said CFM International President and CEO Gaël Méheust. “Drop-in SAF is something our industry can adopt now to begin making inroads on our commitment to be net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Along with our parent companies, GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines, we applaud United for taking this bold initiative and look forward to even greater cooperation in the future.”
“We’re excited to partner with this group of innovative companies that are leading the way in sustainable aviation,” said Dave Kettner, president and general counsel of Virent. “Virent’s proprietary technology demonstrates that SAF can be 100 percent renewable and 100 percent compatible with our current aviation fleet and infrastructure. We are proud to be playing a role in this advancement toward sustainable aviation fuels.”
“When we fly, we connect, and our demand for the connections aviation makes possible are only going to grow,” said World Energy CEO Gene Gebolys. “But we need to develop affordable, high energy density, low-carbon liquid fuels at scale everywhere to allow those connections to be made sustainably. The pioneering work is the hardest work, and United has been with us from the very start. The flight path ahead will require tremendous teamwork. We are fortunate to have partners like United to do that work and are thrilled to be a part of this important milestone today.”
Wednesday’s flight marks the culmination of a number of SAF-related initiatives by the airline, which has committed to becoming 100 green by cutting its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 without reliance on traditional carbon offsets. United recently agreed to purchase 1.5 billion gallons of SAF from Alder Fuels – enough to fly more than 57 million passengers and is also an investor in Fulcrum BioEnergy, where United has an option to purchase up to 900 million gallons of additional SAF.
In July 2021, United Aviate Ventures (UAV) announced an investment, alongside Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Mesa Airlines, in EV airplane maker Heart Aerospace. Heart is developing the ES-19, a 19-seat electric aircraft that has the potential to fly customers with zero emissions when powered by renewable electricity.
