NEW YORK — Members of the oneworld Alliance plan to purchase up to 200 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel per year from Colorado-based renewable fuels producer Gevo.


This is the second such joint commitment by the global airline alliance in four months.

Delivery of the fuel is expected to commence in 2027, for a five year-term. oneworld members Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways expect to utilize the sustainable aviation fuel for operations in California including San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles International Airports.

Sustainable aviation fuel is a core pillar in oneworld’s plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050. In October 2021, the alliance committed to a target of 10% sustainable aviation fuel use across the alliance by 2030. oneworld members are partnering to collectively source sustainable aviation fuel, through the alliance’s Environment and Sustainability Board chaired by IAG Head of Sustainability Jonathon Counsell with representation from all member airlines.
In November 2021, oneworld announced a joint commitment to purchase more than 350 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel from Aemetis for operations at San Francisco – making oneworld the first global airline alliance to jointly commit to purchasing sustainable aviation fuel.

Gevo’s sustainable aviation fuel is expected to be produced using inedible corn products that will be processed to create ethanol that will then be converted into sustainable aviation fuel. Sustainable aviation fuel is expected to be produced at three facilities under development in the Midwest of the United States. The entire supply chain will be certified by the Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) standard which is widely recognized as the most robust certification scheme for bioenergy. Sustainable aviation fuel, which produces significantly lower carbon emissions than traditional jet fuel, is an important part of the aviation sector’s path to decarbonization, in particular on longer-haul flights. No changes to current aircraft or airport infrastructure are required for operators to utilize sustainable aviation fuel – making it a feasible and immediate solution to reduce carbon emissions. However, sustainable aviation fuel is not yet available at scale – underlining the importance of joint commitments like that of oneworld member airlines. Support from other stakeholders, such as government regulations and targeted investments, will further enable the maturity of sustainable aviation fuel production.

Gevo is focused on sustainability at every stage of production and has developed two alcohol-to-jet pathways that can utilize various feedstocks grown using renewable agricultural and sustainable farming techniques. These feedstocks are then converted, in some cases, to high-value nutrition products and energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons, including sustainable aviation fuel. Gevo’s production processes will incorporate renewable energy, including wind turbines, biogas, and combined heat and power systems (CHP) to increase efficiency and reduce carbon intensity to net-zero levels, which will then be passed on to the customer through the fuel. This is particularly helpful for customers, such as airlines, that seek to reduce their carbon footprint.