Delta hub at Detroit airport receives 1st SAF delivery

For the first time, Delta Air Lines flights departing from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) will have the opportunity to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Montana Renewables has delivered its first shipment of 7,000 gallons of SAF to the Buckeye Pipeline facility in Dearborn, Michigan.

From there, the fuel will be transported to the airport via pipeline.

Montana Renewables produced and blended the SAF, which will be used by Delta.

In September, Montana Renewables delivered Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport’s first shipment of SAF, also for Delta.

The two shipments of SAF were made from Minnesota and North Dakota-grown winter camelina by Montana Renewables as part of Delta’s work with the Minnesota SAF Hub coalition.

“Supplying the SAF to DTW marks another significant milestone in the decarbonization of air travel,” said Bruce Fleming, CEO of Montana Renewables.

“Not only does it bring SAF to Detroit flights, but we are especially pleased to pioneer camelina oil as a nonfood renewable that provides additional cash-crop potential for farmers,” Fleming added.

Delta said it covered the cost of SAF needed for both airports to use the fuel on Delta flights.

“The fact that SAF has been delivered to MSP and DTW is monumental because not only is it the first time SAF has arrived at these airports, both of which are important Delta hubs, but it also demonstrates why collaboration across the entire SAF value chain is so important,” said Amelia DeLuca, Delta’s chief sustainability officer.

“We need all the right stakeholders and partners at the table to drive results,” DeLuca said.