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Can Airline Growth and Climate Goals Coexist? Delta Thinks So
Delta wants to grow and decarbonize at the same time. But can airlines fly toward 'net zero' without changing their business models?
Delta Air Lines says sustainability is still a top priority, even as the company grows and its greenhouse gas emissions increase.
Speaking on Skift's climate podcast GreenShift, Amelia DeLuca, Delta's Chief Sustainability Officer, acknowledged the tension between business expansion and climate goals.
But she said the airline remains focused on reducing emissions.
'Delta is not a sustainability company that just happens to have an airline - we're an airline that has a sustainability team and policy,' DeLuca said. 'But we also know that if we don't decarbonize, we lose our license to operate over the next hundred years.'
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A Balancing Act Between Growth and Green Goals
Airlines are under growing pressure to curb emissions, with the sector pledging to reach net zero by 2050. But Delta's emissions rose in 2024 to their highest level since before the pandemic, according to its most recent sustainability report.
'The industry, Delta included, is in growth mode as we come back from the pandemic,' DeLuca said. 'We've just seen continued support for international travel and premium travel. So Delta is obviously trying to serve its customers as best we can. And through that, you're seeing growth in international destinations and premium seats.'
The airline has hundreds of planes on order and while new aircraft are more efficient, more flights will mean more emissions.
Amelia DeLuca serves as Chief Sustainability Officer at Delta Air Lines, leading the airline's net zero by 2050 goal.
Despite rising emissions, DeLuca pointed to signs of progress. She said Delta increased its capacity by 5% last year compared to 2019, but used less jet fuel, a first for the airline. It saved 45 million gallons of jet fuel and roughly $110 million.
'That means we're growing, but doing so more efficiently,' she said.
Delta credits that efficiency to flight improvements such as more efficient routes as well as newer aircraft, which the International Air Transport Association says can be up to 20% more fuel efficient than older models.
DeLuca also said part of the emissions increase comes down to better data. As Delta improves tracking of indirect emissions, such as those from suppliers, its total footprint appears larger.
'Our scope three emissions look like they're going up, but it's just because we're now working with our supply chain to give us the most accurate emissions that we can get,' she said.
The Race for Sustainable Aviation Fuel
DeLuca made it clear that operational tweaks and better planes won't be enough.
'Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the biggest lever,' she said. 'It's the only thing that gets us to net zero. We're in a race against time.'
Delta is building a SAF blending hub in Minnesota and working with corporate clients to create demand. The airline hopes this can serve as a model for broader state-level action.
There have been concerns that SAF production will never be able to grow to the level required by the entire aviation sector, as it tries to decarbonize, due to issues around feedstocks.
The fuel uses things like used cooking oil, of which there is limited supply, and plants, which are feared might result in crop displacement - taking vital land away for things like food for humans, for SAF.
'There's a limit to how much used cooking oil exists. The next generation of SAF is using biomass type products, such as corn waste, potentially woody biomass from fallen trees,' DeLuca said. 'All those have a limit.'
DeLuca called on the sector to continue investing in new technologies such as carbon capture, capturing gasses out of the atmosphere using renewable energy and turning it back into fuel. 'These are unlimited feedstocks. And that cost profile of that product, if you have unlimited feedstocks, is actually lower than conventional jet fuel today. But that is a long way off. This is going to take all of us. Airlines alone can't solve climate change.'
Skift's in-depth reporting on climate issues is made possible through the financial support of Intrepid Travel. This backing allows Skift to bring you high-quality journalism on one of the most important topics facing our planet today. Intrepid is not involved in any decisions made by Skift's editorial team.
