Delta Air Lines and Shell Aviation have agreed to a five-year collaboration to expand sustainable aviation fuel availability across multiple US airports through 2030, in a partnership focused as much on building the supply chain infrastructure as on the fuel itself.
The agreement covers key Delta hubs and priority cities including Los Angeles, JFK in New York, Boston Logan, Portland, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Shell will support both blended and neat SAF deliveries at select locations, helping establish the logistics, blending, and distribution capabilities needed for dependable, routine supply rather than one-off demonstrations.
“Current instability and uncertainty have made one thing very clear — supply diversity matters. With Shell, we’re proving that scaling SAF isn’t theoretical, it’s achievable,” said Amelia DeLuca, Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “This is about activating real supply chains at scale and creating a model that others can build on.”
The collaboration builds on an existing relationship between the two companies on conventional jet fuel supply, as well as prior SAF initiatives. Looking further ahead, Delta and Shell will also evaluate next-generation SAF production pathways including alcohol-to-jet and power-to-liquid technologies, aimed at unlocking additional supply and reducing lifecycle emissions over time.
The agreement complements Delta’s existing involvement in the Minnesota SAF Hub, a coalition focused on scaling domestic SAF production. In 2024, the first SAF shipments in Minneapolis and Michigan aviation history arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit Metropolitan airports as part of that initiative.
With around 90% of Delta’s carbon emissions coming from jet fuel, the airline views SAF as the fastest available path toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
