A new partnership will promote the growth of the market for sustainable aviation fuel and the long-term supply of jet fuel.
March 23, 2023, SEATTLE /PRNewswire — Alaska Airlines today disclosed a deal with Shell Aviation to broaden the market for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beyond a typical fuel delivery arrangement. The fifth-largest domestic carrier and a world-class fuel supply chain are brought together as part of an innovative cross-industry partnership to purchase and use sustainable fuel while defining and addressing the necessary steps to advance SAF technology, development, infrastructure, and investment.
According to Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president for public relations and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, “Alaska Airlines has set our course to net zero by 2040 and sustainable aviation fuels represent the greatest near-term opportunity to make a step-level change on that journey.” “For more than a decade, we have been at the forefront of SAF solutions. But we need help to scale the industry. We are eager to take this next move in our partnership with Shell and to take advantage of their in-depth understanding of the energy sector’s infrastructure needs and supply chain in order to expand the availability of SAF with a lower lifecycle carbon in the future.
The agreement’s specifics include pledges to improve knowledge of the technology, infrastructure, carbon accounting systems, and public policy support required to introduce SAF to more markets, in greater amounts, and at prices that are more long-term and sustainably affordable. The businesses will pay special attention to facilitating delivery to the West Coast and resolving issues with the Pacific Northwest’s fuel infrastructure. Alaska Airlines’ hub in Los Angeles will receive up to 10 million barrels of neat SAF from Shell Aviation.
Jan Toschka, president of Shell Aviation, said, “We’re thrilled to deepen our strong partnership with Alaska and step up our efforts to support the decarbonization of aviation through SAF supply on the West Coast and in the Pacific Northwest. “To create a sustainable aviation future, we require assistance from the complete ecosystem. We can advance the business by putting the technologies and supply chain in place thanks to this extensive collaboration.
Alaska Airlines and Shell Aviation both want to contribute to the scalability of the SAF market by simultaneously tackling volume and cost through a variety of strategies that will increase availability and SAF’s commercial viability.
According to Ann Ardizzone, vice president of strategic sourcing and supply chain management at Alaska Airlines, “We’re aiming to transform West Coast fuel supply with Shell’s world-class fuel supply chain and deep technical knowledge.” “We can advance SAF access in more markets and accelerate the market scale of SAF to reach our environmental goals by leveraging the fuel infrastructure expertise of a major fuel producer,” the statement reads.
SAF is a secure, approved drop-in fuel that satisfies the requirements for jet fuel and can cut carbon emissions by up to 80% of lifetime emissions.
Learn more about Alaska Airlines efforts to reduce its climate impact and go net zero by 2040 at news.alaskaair.com/collection/planet.
