American Airlines flies with eSAF made from recycled CO₂

American Airlines operated a commercial passenger flight using eSAF, electro Sustainable Aviation Fuel, produced by Infinium from recovered CO₂ and renewable energy.

The link linked Corpus Christi to Dallas Fort Worth, marking a new step in the development of synthetic aviation fuels.

The eSAF was blended with traditional Jet A and used through normal airport infrastructure, with no modifications to aircraft or refuelling systems.

According to Infinium, the fuel can reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90% compared to conventional jet fuel. American Airlines now aims to expand the use of eSAF with new supplies expected in the coming years.

What changes for air transport

The world's aviation consumes around 100 billion gallons of fuel each year, while SAF still accounts for less than 1% of overall consumption. The introduction of eSAF therefore opens up a new avenue to increase the availability of low-emission fuels without depending exclusively on bio-based feedstocks, which are considered one of the main constraints to growth in the sector. 

The flight operated by American Airlines thus represents not only a technological demonstration, but also a concrete test bed to verify how electrofuels can be integrated into the current airport system and contribute, in the coming years, to the reduction of the climate impact of air transport.

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