The executive in charge of ensuring United Airlines reaches its environmental goals has said sustainable aviation fuel will be economically viable only if there is co-operation with the oil industry. In an interview with the Financial Times, Lauren Riley, chief sustainability officer for the US’s third-largest airline, said that one of the big problems for sustainable jet fuel providers was a lack of infrastructure. “They don’t have access to the pipelines,” she said.
Traditional aviation fuel in the US moves through infrastructure built to serve oil and gas companies, such as the huge Colonial Pipeline network on the east coast. SAF manufacturers also face challenges securing the investment and other support they need to expand production towards the levels the aviation industry requires. Riley pointed out that worldwide production of SAF last year was 150mn gallons , while United alone used 4.2bn gallons of conventional jet fuel.