Delta sends off first flight from MSP using sustainable camelina-based fuel
September 25, 2024
The Delta Air Lines flight departed Wednesday afternoon for New York using fuel blended with winter camelina, a cover crop that Minnetonka-based Cargill helped grow.
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A major breakthrough in sustainable aviation this week: Delta Air Lines sent off its first-ever flight powered by camelina-based sustainable fuel—an innovation made possible by the work of the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota.
Wednesday afternoon, camelina-based fuel helped power its first flight — a 4 p.m. takeoff for a 7:30 p.m. arrival in New York during the city’s climate week. Delta Air Lines, the flight’s operator, aims to one day make MSP the first airport where all of its flights use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
"The fact that this first flight is fueled with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) made from camelina, an innovative regenerative agricultural crop grown in Minnesota, is a breakthrough far beyond what we thought possible just six months ago. Our partners at Ecolab and the University of Minnesota deserve special thanks for their contributions, which made this innovation possible," said Peter Frosch, President and CEO of the GREATER MSP Partnership.
Cargill worked with Minnesota and North Dakota growers last fall to plant 2,000 acres of winter camelina, which was harvested this summer and used as a feedstock for the SAF. The Forever Green Initiative supported this pilot through technical and financial assistance provided via the Environmental and Economic Clusters of Opportunity program, which is funded by the Clean Water Fund.
Read coverage from the Star Tribune and AgWeek.
The Minnesota SAF Hub is the nation’s first large-scale hub committed to scaling production of sustainable aviation fuel to replace conventional jet fuel. The Minnesota SAF Hub is a coalition anchored by Bank of America, Delta Air Lines, Ecolab, and Xcel Energy. These anchor companies are joined by other leading organizations, such as the State of Minnesota, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (which owns and operates MSP Airport), the University of Minnesota, and many others.
