JetBlue and Shell Aviation collaborate to bring new supply of SAF to LAX

JetBlue and Shell Aviation have 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.

“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 sustainable aviation fuel ,” said Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue. “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 sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. To meet this goal, Shell is building supply chain capabilities to blend, handle and distribute SAF and enable more customers access to SAF, helping to accelerate the pace of decarbonizing the aviation sector.

Supporting and growing SAF availability is critical to reaching larger airline industry goals and JetBlue’s own goal to reach net-zero by 2040, ten 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.