United Airlines' new partnership could power 50,000 flights with sustainable aviation fuel

United Airlines announced a new joint venture agreement with two biofuel companies Tuesday, saying that it expects the partnership to produce enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to power 50,000 flights between Chicago and Denver per year by 2028. The Blue Blade Energy project is a joint venture with Tallgrass and Green Plains, Inc., and will focus on producing ethanol-based aviation fuel. "The magnitude of this deal and the volume of SAF that it could bring online in this decade dwarfs everything else," United Airlines Ventures president Michael Leskinen said. Testing of the specific SAF technology is expected to begin next year, with a full-scale production facility planned to come online in 2028, pending the success of that pilot. "The production and use of SAF is the most effective and scalable tool the airline industry has to reduce carbon emissions and United continues to lead the way," Leskinen said in a statement. "This new joint venture includes two expert collaborators that have the experience to construct and operate large-scale infrastructure, as well as the feedstock supply necessary for success."<br/>