Delta: Fueling the Future of Sustainable Aviation
Delta is driven by its mission of better connecting the world. That’s why Delta is on a journey to connect people to a more sustainable future of travel, setting a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while delivering elevated travel experiences for its customers. With bold decarbonization goals, Delta is leveraging the power of collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence to reshape the future of air travel. As a company with 100 years of operational excellence under its belt, the global airline and its people are no strangers to solving hard problems.
The Power of the Delta People
At Delta, ‘Keep Climbing’ is more than a slogan – it’s a mindset. When Delta set its sustainability goals, it made sure its employees were part of the solution. In 2022, Delta launched its cross-divisional Carbon Council, bringing together senior leaders across the business to identify operational efficiencies that reduce jet fuel use, cutting both costs and emissions. What makes the Carbon Council unique is its reach, engaging leaders encompassing across the organization, including the more than 65% of employees in roles that directly impact fuel burn. In 2025, this collaboration helped Delta become the first North American airline to hit its short-term fuel savings milestone of 1% fuel burn, or 45 million gallons of jet fuel.* These savings came from initiatives like reducing onboard weight, optimizing aircraft speed and routing, and certifying new landing procedures. The result: more than $100 million in cost savings, reinforcing sustainability as a business imperative and contributing to Delta’s industry-leading profit-sharing program.
Innovating for the Future of Flight
While Delta is working to make changes within its control to save on jet fuel today, it’s also partnering with revolutionary tech players that are creating next-generation aircraft and technologies. Through its Sustainable Skies Lab, Delta is partnering with legacy aircraft manufacturers and new tech players who are innovating for the aircraft of the future. From JetZero’s revolutionary blended-wing-body aircraft to Maeve’s hybrid-electric regional aircraft, Delta is strategically rounding out its portfolio of revolutionary fleet partners across short, medium, and long-haul markets.
Scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel
With around 90% of Delta’s carbon emissions coming from jet fuel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most promising lever known today to accelerate the airline’s decarbonization goals. However, there isn’t nearly enough available to meet global demand for even a week, which is why Delta is doing its part to scale production of SAF. Delta serves as an anchor partner and founder of the Minnesota SAF Hub, dedicated to scaling SAF production.
As the airline celebrates 100 years of flight, its sustainability journey offers a compelling blueprint for how legacy carriers can evolve—by focusing on what’s within their control today, while investing in the technologies that will define tomorrow.
*Compared to 2019, and relative to what we would have used if Delta had not undertaken any fuel efficiency efforts, not including fleet renewal.
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