Delta joins Minnesota leaders to celebrate opening of new SAF blending facility serving MSP

Photo: Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines announced July 27 that it joined Minnesota SAF Hub partners along with federal and state policymakers to celebrate the completion of a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blending facility at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend Refinery, marking a significant step forward in expanding SAF availability at Delta’s second-largest hub, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). 

SAF is an alternative jet fuel made from renewable feedstocks that can significantly reduce lifecycle-carbon emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.

The new facility allows SAF to be blended locally with conventional jet fuel and delivered through existing pipeline infrastructure directly to MSP, where Delta uses approximately 250 million gallons of jet fuel annually.

The facility is expected to be capable of blending up to 30 million gallons of neat SAF annually, helping create the infrastructure needed to scale SAF use at one of Delta’s largest operations.

Delta and Flint Hills Resources first announced plans for the facility in September 2024.

The plans are one of four key milestones identified by the Minnesota SAF Hub, a first-of-its-kind coalition launched in 2023 by Delta, Greater MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Ecolab and Xcel Energy to help build a regional SAF economy.

“This facility is the culmination of a shared vision for Minnesota to become a leader in sustainable aviation fuel,” said Peter Carter, the president of Delta Air Lines. “By expanding the infrastructure needed to support broader SAF adoption, it represents an important step toward turning that potential into reality. Delta is proud to be part of this effort and excited about the role Minnesota can play in advancing the future of sustainable aviation fuel.”

SAF is safe to use in today’s aircraft engines and can be delivered through much of the existing fuel infrastructure already serving airports.

SAF production remains limited, however, making investments in production, supply chains and infrastructure critical to scaling its use across the aviation industry.

This facility builds on Delta's broader SAF strategy, which includes a recently announced five-year collaboration with Shell Aviation to expand SAF availability across key U.S. hubs and priority cities, including MSP, through 2030.

With around 90 percent of Delta’s carbon emissions coming from jet fuel, the airline remains committed to its target of 10 percent SAF usage by 2030 and continues to see SAF as one of the most important levers for decarbonizing flight on its journey to net-zero emissions by 2050.