American Airlines has operated a commercial passenger flight using electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) produced from waste carbon dioxide and renewable energy.
The flight departed Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP) in Texas and arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). This milestone followed the first delivery of Infinium’s eSAF to a US commercial airport for use on a passenger service.
The fuel was produced and blended at Infinium’s Project Pathfinder facility in Corpus Christi. The plant, which began operating in 2023, produces power-to-liquid eFuels using waste CO₂ and renewable electricity.
The eSAF was blended with conventional jet fuel and tested against ASTM International specifications for Jet A. This means it can be used with existing aircraft engines and airport fuelling infrastructure without modifications.
The delivery to CRP is also the first US commercial airport delivery of sustainable aviation fuel produced without biobased feedstocks.
Infinium says its eSAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90% compared with conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. Unlike conventional SAF pathways that use biological feedstocks, the fuel is produced using captured waste CO₂ and renewable electricity.
Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle said:Since 2023, we have been producing scalable, drop-in eDiesel and eNaphtha at our Pathfinder facility from waste carbon and renewable energy for use in commercial trucks and plastics processing. Adding eSAF to our product slate — and seeing it power a commercial passenger flight — marks another meaningful step forward in bringing practical, low-carbon fuel solutions to industry.
The flight forms part of American Airlines’ work to develop a supply of lower-carbon aviation fuel. The airline has an offtake agreement with Infinium for commercial volumes of eSAF from Project Roadrunner.
Project Roadrunner is currently under construction and is expected to begin producing and delivering eSAF in 2027. The project has been financed by Breakthrough Energy Catalyst and Brookfield Asset Management, with non-recourse project debt provided by HSBC.
At full capacity, Roadrunner is expected to produce more than 5 million gallons of eSAF per year.
American is also working with Citi through a separate agreement intended to support Scope 3 emissions reductions associated with employee travel.
American’s CEO Robert Isom said:This flight represents a significant moment for aviation. Through our partnership with Infinium, we're demonstrating how next generation technologies like eSAF can move from early investment to real-world application. Scaling SAF production at lower prices is essential to reducing emissions, strengthening our long-term competitiveness, and continuing to deliver the connectivity and economic benefits that our customers rely on.
Global aviation consumes close to 100 billion gallons of jet fuel each year, while more than four billion passengers travel by air annually. SAF currently accounts for less than 1% of global jet fuel consumption.
The use of drop-in fuels such as eSAF is intended to allow airlines to reduce lifecycle emissions without requiring changes to existing aircraft or airport fuelling systems.
The Corpus Christi flight provides a commercial demonstration of that approach, while larger projects such as Roadrunner are intended to increase the availability of eSAF for airline use.
