American Airlines used 2.7 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in 2023, as reported in its 2023 Sustainability Report released on July 2. This SAF consumption represented a 4% increase from 2022 but constituted less than 1% of the airline’s total fuel consumption for the year, reported Biodiesel Magazine.
The report highlights American Airlines’ efforts to expand its SAF procurement. “We have entered agreements with multiple SAF producers, paying a premium, to secure supply and, in the case of Infinium, to facilitate investment in new, lower-carbon SAF technology,” the report stated. “However, the current and anticipated SAF supply over the next few years is only a small fraction of what is needed.”
American Airlines has set a target to achieve 10% SAF usage by 2030. The Sustainability Report details the airline’s strategies to reach this goal and underscores the importance of policy support and stakeholder collaboration to bolster the SAF industry.
“Scaling the SAF market to ensure adequate volume and affordability is crucial to making a substantial impact on aviation’s carbon footprint and achieving our climate objectives,” American Airlines emphasized in the report. “While progress has been made with initiatives like the SAF blenders tax credit and state-level efforts, more ambitious actions are necessary.”
While airlines play a pivotal role in SAF adoption, the report stresses the need for coordinated efforts across various sectors. It calls for engine and airframe manufacturers to enable higher SAF blends, urges the research community to innovate new SAF production methods, calls on the energy sector to commit capital, encourages the financial sector to enhance support mechanisms, advocates for recognition of new solutions by standard setters, and urges policymakers to enact policies that drive investment in the SAF industry.
The Sustainability Report also outlines American Airlines’ investment in U.S. electrofuels (eFuels) company Infinium, which aims to convert waste carbon dioxide, water, and renewable power into SAF. The airline has secured a firm agreement with Infinium for the supply of eSAF and plans to produce eSAF at a repurposed brownfield gas-to-liquids facility in Texas.
