Boeing to buy 5.6 million gallons of SAF this year for commercial operations

Boeing has agreements to purchase 5.6 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by Neste Corp., the world’s leading SAF producer, to support its U.S. commercial operations through 2023.

These agreements more than double the company’s SAF procurement from last year.

“We are demonstrating our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and catalyze the SAF industry,” said Sheila Remes, Boeing vice president of environmental sustainability. “This SAF procurement makes up 25 percent of Boeing’s total jet-fuel needs for last year including our production, delivery, Boeing ecoDemonstrator, and Dreamlifter flights, and we aim to increase that portion in the years to come.”

The purchase agreements include supply of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™, which is blended with conventional jet fuel at a 30/70 ratio to produce the blended SAF.

Neste MY SAF is made from 100 percent renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as cooking oil and animal fat waste, and meets strict sustainability criteria.

Epic Fuels and Signature Aviation will provide 2.3 million gallons and Avfuel will supply 300,000 gallons of this blended SAF for the Boeing ecoDemonstrator flight-test program and the company’s commercial sites in Washington state and South Carolina.

Boeing is also purchasing an additional 3 million gallons of the same blended SAF from Epic Fuels and Signature Aviation, generating emissions-reduction credits for commercial deliveries, Dreamlifter and executive flights.

These benefits are generated by a book-and-claim process that displaces petroleum jet fuel with SAF in fueling systems outside the company’s fuel supply.

In 2021, Boeing committed to deliver its commercial airplanes capable and certified to fly on 100 percent SAF by 2030.

SAF reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 80 percent over the fuel’s lifecycle with the potential to reach 100 percent in the future and is widely recognized as offering the greatest potential to decarbonize aviation over the next 20 to 30 years.

Made from several feedstocks, SAF is certified for commercial use and can currently be blended up to 50 percent with traditional jet fuel without modifications to airplanes, engines or fueling infrastructure.

Among Boeing's key milestones to enable SAF:

Earlier this month, Boeing announced a pivotal testing milestone—the development of jet reference fluids to enable SAF-compatibility testing to help fulfill the company’s commitment to producing 100 percent SAF-capable airplanes

In 2019, Boeing began offering customers the option to power commercial-delivery flights with SAF to demonstrate commitment to reducing CO2 and further spur the use of cleaner fuels

In 2018, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator made the industry’s first commercial-airplane test flight with 100 percent SAF in both engines of a 777 Freighter in partnership with FedEx

Boeing made initial SAF test flights in 2008, enabled approval for commercial SAF use in 2011 and airplane delivery flights in 2012

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries.