US low-cost airline JetBlue and its fuel partners have marked an industry milestone with the first regular supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for commercial air travel in the Northeast region at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Last summer, the airline announced its agreement with World Fuel Services (World Fuel), a company under the global energy provider, World Kinect corporation, for a minimum of one million gallons of neat SAF to be provided by Valero Marketing and Supply Company (Valero), a subsidiary of the Valero Energy Corporation.
The SAF supply is produced by Diamond Green Diesel LLC, a joint-venture subsidiary between a Valero affiliate and Darling Ingredients Inc. affiliate. It is one of the largest renewable energy producers in North America, and the second largest in the world.
Diamond Green produces the SAF fuel, then it’s blended with traditional jet fuel by Valero to create blended SAF, which is then delivered by World Fuel via jet fuel distribution infrastructure at JFK so that JetBlue can use it to power its fleet.
The blended SAF is a drop-in product for existing aircraft and infrastructure and can lower greenhouse gas emission lifecycles by up to around 80% compared to regular jet fuel.
To maintain the consistent SAF supply, JetBlue’s corporate partners help cover the cost of the cleaner jet fuel, and under the terms of its deal with the partner companies, an additional four million gallons of neat SAF is possible.
“As the international gateway to the US, JFK is leading by example through our work on safe SAF delivery to our regional airports and promoting sustainable air travel. We look forward to facilitating more SAF operations across our airport system,” said Port Authority chairman, Kevin O’Toole.
The airline already receives regular SAF deliveries in its operations at San Francisco Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles Airport (LAX), and with its expansion efforts, its total SAF procurement has doubled since 2020.
Ursula Hurley, chief financial officer of JetBlue, also commented: “JFK has been JetBlue’s home for 25 years, and our operations here should set the standard we envision for our entire network… Incorporating SAF into our flights is an important lever in decarbonising the aviation industry and expanding its availability to our Northeast airports is a big step.”
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