Southwest Air boosts bet on corn jet fuel with LanzaJet deal

Southwest Airlines is teaming up with biofuels company LanzaJet Inc. as part of a launch of a renewable fuel arm, boosting the carrier’s effort to secure cleaner jet fuel made from corn crops and other materials. Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures will focus on finding affordable sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. The portfolio includes a $30m investment in LanzaJet, a sustainable fuels producer that last month unveiled the world’s first SAF commercial plant that will use ethanol as its ingredient. Pressure for US airlines to cut greenhouse-gas emissions is rapidly increasing, including from the White House. That’s creating a flurry of alliances between aviation and agriculture. Biofuel producers are looking to expand into new markets and take advantage of government incentives for cleaner-burning fuel, while US farmers are hoping to gain from future demand for SAF, which can be made a variety of ways, including corn ethanol. Carbon dioxide emissions from aviation, an industry difficult to electrify, are expected to surge by 94% from pre-pandemic levels, exceeding 2 gigatons by mid-century, according to BloombergNEF. “We continue to march toward our goal of net zero by 2050,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement.<br/>