Yesterday’s french fries could help fuel tomorrow’s flights. American Airlines and Google have struck the largest publicly announced sustainable aviation fuel certificate agreement between an airline and a single corporate customer. The agreement would support 35 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel over three years, with much of the fuel derived from waste feedstocks like used cooking oil.
Corporate demand for lower-emission business travel is supporting airlines’ efforts to meet their net zero 2050 targets and creating a market for fuels made from materials that would once have been discarded.
The SAF deal builds on an ongoing collaboration between the airline and the technology giant to reduce commercial aviation emissions, including efforts to reduce contrails, which are considered a major driver of global warming.
American Airlines And Google Strike Record SAF Deal
According to American Airlines, the agreement is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by nearly 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
“Our industry-leading agreement with Google is a critical step forward in reducing emissions from our operations,” said American’s Chief Sustainability Officer Jill Blickstein. “By working with leaders like Google who share our commitment to innovation, we’re helping to grow demand for SAF and support the development of a stronger, more resilient market.”
The airline said the deal enabled it to secure long-term SAF supply from Valero Marketing and Supply Company, with deliveries expected through Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Chicago was selected specifically because Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly have enacted an SAF tax credit.
“Illinois is proud to be at the forefront of the clean energy industry. This agreement demonstrates how our nation-leading SAF tax credit can bring industry leaders together as we work toward a more sustainable future,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in the American Airlines announcement. “Through partnerships with innovators like American Airlines and Google, we’re strengthening Illinois’ role as a global aviation hub and accelerating the transition to cleaner energy.”
From Fryers To Flight
Many sustainable aviation fuels currently in use are produced from recycled feedstocks, including waste fats, oils and greases, such as used cooking oil.
Those waste streams are refined into jet fuel that can reduce lifecycle emissions by 80% compared with conventional fossil-derived jet fuel.
This means materials that once ended up in landfills or wastewater systems can be converted into fuel for commercial aircraft.
Why Google Is Buying Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Google said the agreement supports its broader efforts to address emissions associated with employee business travel. The technology company will use Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificates to help stimulate SAF demand and expand production capacity.
“This strategic collaboration with American Airlines demonstrates how companies can work together to scale critical sustainability technologies,” said Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt in the airline’s announcement. “By entering into this long-term commitment, we are sending a vital demand signal to catalyze investment and bring more SAF to market.”
This partnership builds on Google’s other efforts to scale SAF production. The company has also helped accelerate the SAF market in Singapore, signed a long-term SAF agreement with AMEX and Shell to source SAF environmental attribute information through the SAF registry, Avelia, and is supporting the United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund’s investment in startups advancing SAF research and technology.
SAF Production Needs A Helping Hand
Although SAF is widely regarded as one of aviation’s most important decarbonization tools, production remains limited, and costs are significantly higher than those of conventional jet fuel.
Aviation currently consumes far more fuel than the SAF industry can supply.
Industry groups, including the International Air Transport Association, have repeatedly warned that scaling production will require additional investment, supportive government policies and long-term commitments from both airlines and customers.
This month, IATA published updated estimates showing that global SAF production still has a long way to go to meet airline demand. What supply is available will cost airlines $4.3 billion this year.
“It looks to be another disappointing year for SAF production,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, in the airline association’s announcement. “Five years after committing to achieve net zero by 2050, SAF production will only account for 0.8% of airline fuel use this year. The path to meeting 65% of our needs in 2050 is growing more difficult with each year of ineffectively sequenced government policies and oil companies’ manifest lack of interest. The current energy shock should add even more urgency to the development of renewables, including SAF. But we have yet to see either the energy shock, the need to develop energy independence and jobs, or the urgency to mitigate climate change materialize in the incentives needed to create a viable SAF market.”
Corporate customers such as Google can use purchase agreements to create predictable demand, encouraging producers to invest in additional capacity. These agreements help airlines secure supply and help companies address emissions linked to their business travel.
Google And American Apply AI To Reduce Contrails
While ensuring adequate SAF supply will go a long way toward making flying more sustainable, some studies suggest that contrails—the vapor trails aircraft leave along their flight path—may account for a share of aviation’s warming effect comparable to that of CO₂ emissions.
American Airlines and Google have also partnered to apply AI to manage flight paths, reducing the likelihood of contrails by over 60%. Google uses artificial intelligence trained on satellite imagery, weather patterns and flight paths to generate forecast maps of atmospheric regions where contrails would likely form. The airline can simply adjust the flight’s altitude or route to avoid those zones by making slight changes to the flight plan.
During a recent trial, the 112 American Airlines flights that followed the contrail-avoidance flight paths reduced contrail formation by 62%, with up to 69% reduction in warming impact, and “no statistically significant difference” in fuel consumption.
A combination of efforts, from increased production of sustainable aviation fuel to new aircraft technologies, will help bring the airline industry closer to its sustainability targets, but many of these developments will take time to mature. Contrail avoidance is a quick fix that can be implemented immediately and significantly contribute to greener flights.
