United Airlines has renewed its agreement with World Energy to purchase up to 10 million gallons of aviation biofuel through 2021. United currently uses biofuel on every flight departing Los Angeles (LAX), a practice that has helped achieve a roughly 60 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for those operations.
United was the first airline worldwide to incorporate sustainable aviation biofuel into regular operations in 2013, and it remains the only U.S. carrier to do so on a consistent basis.
“Investing in sustainable aviation biofuel is one of the most effective measures a commercial airline can take to reduce its impact on the environment,” said Scott Kirby, president of United Airlines. “As leaders in this space, United and World Energy are setting an example for the industry on how innovators can work together to bring our customers, colleagues and communities toward a more sustainable future.”
This renewed commitment supports United’s broader target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050. Achieving that goal would be equivalent to removing about 4.5 million vehicles from the road — roughly equal to the total number of cars in New York City and Los Angeles combined.