United plans DC flight on greener fuel to nudge lawmakers

Amid a push by US airlines to get Congress to help jump-start greater production of sustainable aviation fuel, United is slated on Wednesday to fly a jet to Washington that will be partly powered by this product. Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is a key part of major airlines’ strategy for meeting their goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, a transformation the industry estimates will require an enormous financial investment of more than $1.5t. To convert just 10% of the global aviation fuel supply to SAF will require $250b in capital, United CEO Scott Kirby said Tuesday. “We don’t have $250b,” he said. “The whole industry doesn’t have $250b. It needs a government foundation to build the industry. And I am fearful for the economic reality unless there is ultimately some kind of government framework that makes it viable.” For United’s flight Wednesday from its Chicago hub to Reagan National Airport, one of the Boeing 737 Max’s two engines is expected to burn 500 gallons of the new fuel while the other engine will run on traditional jet-grade kerosene. The flight is to carry more than 100 people, including executives from Boeing, GE Aviation, Virent, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp., and aviation reporters. The airline aims for the trip to highlight its campaign for lawmaker action and to demonstrate that sustainable aviation fuel works fine on existing jet engines.<br/>