Delta and Shell Sign Five-Year Deal to Expand SAF Access at US Airports

Delta Air Lines has expanded its sustainable aviation fuel partnership with Shell Aviation through a new five-year agreement covering several of the airline’s largest US operating locations.

The agreement will run through 2030 and focus on increasing access to sustainable aviation fuel, commonly known as SAF, at Los Angeles International Airport, Portland International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

Rather than concentrating solely on fuel purchases, the collaboration will also address the infrastructure and operational systems required to deliver SAF consistently. This includes fuel sourcing, transportation, storage, blending and integration into existing airport fuel systems.

The companies did not disclose the financial value of the agreement or commit publicly to a specific total volume of SAF. Delta described the arrangement as a framework that will allow supply to expand as production capacity and market availability develop.

Building on Previous SAF Deliveries

Delta and Shell already have experience delivering SAF to the airline’s network.

In 2023, the companies announced an agreement under which Delta could purchase up to 10 million gallons of unblended SAF from Shell for use at Los Angeles International Airport over two years. The latest agreement broadens that relationship from a single airport arrangement to a multi-airport supply and infrastructure strategy.

The partnership also follows the first commercial-scale SAF delivery into Portland International Airport’s fuel system in September 2025. Delta, Shell and the Port of Portland collaborated on the delivery, allowing SAF to enter the airport’s shared fuel infrastructure rather than requiring separate physical handling for an individual aircraft.

Shared airport fuel systems are important because SAF is generally blended with conventional jet fuel before distribution. Once the blended fuel enters the airport system, it may be used by different aircraft and airlines rather than being physically assigned to a particular flight.

This approach can simplify logistics and reduce the need for dedicated storage or refuelling equipment. However, it also means that airlines must use verified accounting systems to document the environmental attributes associated with the SAF they purchase.

Focus on Reliable Supply and Infrastructure

The new agreement is intended to support more predictable SAF deliveries across Delta’s network.

Shell will work with Delta and relevant airport operators to assess supply routes, blending capacity, storage requirements and other logistical constraints. The companies also plan to evaluate next-generation SAF technologies and potential production pathways during the five-year term.

This infrastructure focus reflects one of the main challenges facing the SAF market. Although approved SAF can generally be used in existing aircraft and fuel systems when blended within certified limits, production remains concentrated in a relatively small number of locations.

Transporting the fuel to airports can therefore add cost and complexity. Access may vary significantly between regions, particularly at airports located far from refineries, renewable fuel facilities or major fuel distribution networks.

Longer-term supply agreements can provide SAF producers and infrastructure developers with clearer indications of future demand. For airlines, multi-year contracts may improve supply visibility and reduce dependence on isolated purchases, although they do not eliminate exposure to higher prices or limited production.

SAF Supply Remains Small Compared With Aviation Demand

SAF is widely regarded as one of the most practical near-term options for reducing lifecycle emissions from existing aircraft because it can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used without replacing entire fleets.

The emissions benefit depends on the feedstock, production method, energy inputs and land-use impacts associated with each fuel. Delta states that some SAF pathways can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional jet fuel. The airline reported procuring more than 23 million gallons of SAF in 2025, an increase of more than 80% from 2024.

However, global supply remains limited. The International Air Transport Association estimates that SAF production reached approximately 1.9 million tonnes in 2025, equal to around 0.6% of global jet fuel consumption.

Production is expected to rise to approximately 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, but that would still account for only about 0.8% of annual jet fuel use. IATA has also warned that production growth is slowing and that the price premium for SAF continues to impose substantial additional costs on airlines.

These figures show the scale of the gap between current production and the volumes required for widespread aviation decarbonization. Airlines must compete for limited supplies while producers face uncertainty around feedstock availability, construction costs, long-term policy support and customer willingness to pay a premium.

Implications for Corporate Climate Strategies

Expanded SAF access could also affect companies seeking to reduce emissions associated with employee travel or air freight.

Some airlines offer corporate SAF programmes through which businesses help finance fuel purchases and receive certificates representing a share of the associated lifecycle emissions reductions. These arrangements are often based on book-and-claim systems, allowing the environmental benefit to be recorded separately from the physical location where the fuel is used.

For corporate sustainability teams, such programmes require careful accounting. Companies should verify the fuel’s certification, lifecycle emissions methodology, chain-of-custody arrangements and rules intended to prevent the same environmental benefit from being claimed more than once.

Under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s CORSIA framework, eligible fuels must be certified through an approved sustainability certification scheme. The emissions reduction attributed to a fuel is calculated using its lifecycle emissions value rather than assuming that every SAF pathway delivers the same benefit.

Policy and Investment Will Remain Critical

The United States has established a goal of producing three billion gallons of domestic SAF annually by 2030, with eligible fuel expected to deliver at least a 50% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional jet fuel. The longer-term target is 35 billion gallons per year by 2050.

Government reporting has indicated that announced US projects could collectively exceed three billion gallons of annual capacity by 2030. However, announced capacity does not guarantee that every project will secure financing, complete construction, or operate at its intended output.

The Delta and Shell agreement demonstrates how airlines and fuel suppliers are attempting to address the commercial and logistical side of the SAF transition. Its impact will ultimately depend on how much additional fuel becomes available, the emissions performance of that fuel and whether infrastructure development can make deliveries commercially viable across multiple airports.

The deal therefore represents a step toward more routine SAF use, but not a solution to aviation’s wider emissions challenge. Fleet efficiency, operational improvements, new aircraft technologies and credible emissions accounting will remain necessary alongside alternative fuels.

Source: www.esgdive.com