Commercial, Sourcing Renewables  -  March 14, 2023

JetBlue Will Use SAF in Los Angeles

JetBlue announced a new collaboration bringing additional supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), targeting commencement of delivery in the first half of 2023. 

Within the terms of the agreement, JetBlue is expected to take delivery of 10,000,000 gallons of blended SAF at LAX over the next two years and an option to purchase up to 5,000,000 gallons more in the third year, either at LAX or other airports in JetBlue’s network from Shell.

“We’ve long said we need multiple key stakeholders to step up to reach our aggressive emissions reduction goals. This deal with Shell is a key signal of the growing engagement of the major fuel producers to begin converting conventional jet fuel to SAF,” said Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue in a statement. “Shell’s involvement, with their expertise in energy markets and logistics, is a validation of the SAF market’s potential and highlights how critical the SAF transition of our hard-to-decarbonize industry is to establishing a more sustainable future of flight.”

Shell has announced its ambition to have 10% of its aviation jet fuel sales as SAF by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040, 10 years earlier than industry targets. This along with JetBlue’s other existing sustainability commitments will apply to the airline’s planned integration of Spirit Airlines into its operation. JetBlue will continue to do its part to encourage a diverse and competitive SAF market and encourage the build-up of available supply and the economies of scale needed for SAF prices to compete with traditional fuel sources.

The additional SAF provided through Shell Aviation at LAX will increase the airline’s SAF supply at the airport, bringing SAF to approximately 15% of JetBlue’s total LAX jet fuel uptake. JetBlue also regularly flies on SAF out of San Francisco and in 2022 signed agreements with three additional SAF producers for future supply, continuing to look at future SAF partnerships with a particular interest in encouraging SAF in the Northeast.

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