Governor Pritzker joins United leaders to
highlight the role that Illinois SAF tax credits played in paving
the way for SAF at O'Hare in 2024; first supply to arrive in
August
United will receive up to 1 million gallons of
Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ through end of
2024
United led U.S. airlines in annual SAF volumes
used in 2023; O'Hare is fifth airport where United has purchased
SAF for operational use – among the most locations of any U.S.
airline
CHICAGO, July 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- United today became the first
airline to purchase sustainable aviation fuel1 (SAF) for
use at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Governor JB Pritzker
joined the airline's leadership at ORD to highlight the role that
Illinois' SAF tax credits played
in bringing sustainable aviation fuel to one of the largest
airports in the U.S.
SAF producer Neste will provide up to 1 million gallons of Neste
MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™2 to United at ORD in 2024
with the first supply arriving in August.3
United was the first airline to create a goal of reaching net
zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050, without relying on voluntary
carbon offsets, and remains a U.S. industry leader in the purchase
and use of SAF. The airline purchased more sustainable fuel than
any U.S. airline in 2023 and the agreement with Neste makes O'Hare
the fifth airport where United has purchased SAF for operational
use – among the most locations of any U.S. airline.
"Since day one as Governor, I've committed to making
Illinois a national leader in
sustainability and clean energy, which is why I was proud to
support a nation-leading SAF tax credit last year," said Governor
JB Pritzker. "Illinois's position
as a hub of innovation with some of the most connected airports in
the country perfectly aligns with the work of companies like United
to build a more sustainable future for travel and reach our shared
goal of zero emissions."
SAF is an alternative to conventional jet fuel that can reduce
GHG emissions by up to 85% on a lifecycle basis – from production
to end use - because it is made from renewable materials rather
than drilled fossil oil. SAF is among aviation's best, most
scalable options to push the industry towards net zero emissions in
part because it can be used right now with existing infrastructure
- no changes to fuel systems or aircraft engines required.
"This is what happens when innovation, leadership and policy
come together," said United President Brett
Hart, who was at ORD today with the Governor. "While the
market for SAF is still in its infancy, there is a huge opportunity
today for airlines and policymakers to work together to support its
continued growth – SAF at O'Hare was made possible thanks to
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Legislature passing tax
incentives."
United has now purchased SAF for airports in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Chicago,
London, and Amsterdam.
"I'm pleased to see United Airlines making this significant move
forward by using sustainable aviation fuel daily in flights from
O'Hare," U.S. Senator Tammy
Duckworth (D-IL) said. "One of the most important things we
can do to make American aviation more sustainable is increase the
supply of SAF. At the federal level, I've been pushing for the
increased use of SAF, and I'm going to keep pushing to increase the
supply of American-grown, American-made SAF, a true win-win
solution that supports domestic farmers and blenders while reducing
our nation's carbon footprint."
United SAF Policy Leadership
United is a chief advocate for legislation to grow the SAF
market, and helped push for the successful adoption of a federal
SAF Blender's Tax Credit, DOT grants to promote SAF usage, and
incentives for hydrogen production and carbon capture. At the state
level, the airline has helped secure the passage of SAF tax credits
in Illinois, Colorado, California and Washington that encourage the purchase of SAF
for local airports.
To further develop and deploy SAF in the U.S. and advocate for
policies that will help U.S. fuel producers lead this growing
industry, United helped found the SAF Coalition, a consortium that
includes more than 40 airlines and aircraft operators, agricultural
enterprises, aircraft and aircraft equipment manufacturers,
airports, technology developers, labor unions and biofuel
producers.
United Leadership & Coalition
Building
United's roadmap to achieve its emission goals includes driving
operational efficiencies, adding hundreds of new, fuel-efficient
planes, using SAF, and investing in other low carbon onboard
products and alternate propulsion technologies.
Importantly though, the airline recognizes that no one carrier
or industry can solve climate change alone and that's why United
has also rallied the business community to scale more sustainable
aviation fuel.
- SAF purchased for United's flights is paid for in part through
the company's Eco-Skies AllianceSM, where participating
companies work together to share the "green premium," or the cost
associated with purchasing lower emission fuels. Since 2021, the
alliance has collectively contributed toward the purchase of more
than 10.5 million gallons of SAF.
- ESA companies include: Autodesk, Bank of
America, BCG, DB Schenker,
Envirotainer, First Eagle Investments,
Marken, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Salesforce,
Meta, ZS, SEKO, Sidley
Austin
LLP, Yusen Logistics
- Launched in 2023, the UAV Sustainable Flight
FundSM is a first-of-its-kind investment
vehicle designed to leverage support from cross-industry businesses
in order to support start-ups focused on decarbonizing
air travel. The fund is comprised of more than $200 million in investment commitments from
United and 21 corporate partners.
About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most
comprehensive global route network among North American carriers
and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by
available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team,
please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the
company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the
parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq
under the symbol "UAL".
Forward-Looking Statements and Other Important
Information
This press release contains certain
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to, among other
things, plans and projections regarding the company's
environmental, social or governance (ESG) goals, targets,
commitments, strategies and initiatives and related business and
stakeholder impacts. All statements that are not statements of
historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on historical
performance and current expectations, estimates, forecasts and
projections about our future financial results, plans, objectives,
goals, targets, commitments, strategies and initiatives and involve
inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, known or unknown,
including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or
change any of them, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond
our control and could cause our future financial results, plans,
objectives, goals, targets, commitments, strategies and initiatives
to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the
statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other
factors include, among others, any failure to meet stated ESG
goals, targets, commitments, strategies and initiatives in the time
frame expected or at all as a result of many factors, including
changing societal, market, competitive, regulatory or stakeholder
expectations, and any delay or inability of United Airlines to
realize the expected benefits of the transaction, including from a
delay or failure of any project to be fully developed or become
operational or to produce sustainable aviation fuel or other
ESG-related product in the amounts contemplated or at all. No
forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking
statements in this press release should be evaluated together with
the many risks and uncertainties that affect United's business and
market, particularly those identified in the "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations" and "Risk Factors" sections in United's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2023, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Risks and uncertainties related
to United's environmental compliance, climate commitments and
climate strategy are further described in Part I, Item 1A. Risk
Factors of United's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2023—"We are
subject to many forms of environmental regulation and liability as
well as risks associated with climate change and may incur
substantial costs as a result. In addition, failure to achieve or
demonstrate progress towards our climate goals may expose us to
liability and reputational harm."
The statements included in this press release are made only as
of the date of this press release and except as otherwise required
by applicable law or regulation, United Airlines undertakes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any statement, whether as a
result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or
otherwise. In particular, United Airlines reserves the right to
change, amend, supplement or abandon some or all of the statements
regarding goals, targets, commitments, strategies, initiatives,
intentions and other statements from time to time without
notice.
1SAF must be blended with conventional jet fuel in
accordance with current regulatory requirements to be used as fuel
for an aircraft.
2When used in neat form (i.e. unblended) and
calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA)
methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology, using Neste MY
Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to
80% over the fuel's life cycle, compared to using conventional jet
fuel.
3United requires its SAF to be certified by an
independent, third-party certification system, like the
International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) or
Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), as compliant with
certain sustainability criteria.
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SOURCE United Airlines