Jessica Reed is a writer and editor with AIN. She joined the team in the fall of 2023 after two years covering the aviation industry at Avionics International. She earned her bachelor&#039;s degree in English (Writing &amp; Rhetoric) from Pepperdine University. Her hometown is St. Louis, Missouri, and she since has resided in Santa Barbara, California, and Brooklyn, New York, among others. She is currently based in Philadelphia.

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Jessica Reed

World Fuel Services and DHL Express have entered into a commercial agreement to supply blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Miami International Airport (KMIA). This agreement will bring one of the first regular SAF deliveries to Florida. Under the agreement, approximately 60 million gallons of blended SAF will be delivered over two years, including 18 million gallons of neat SAF.
Diamond Green Diesel, a joint venture between Darling Ingredients and Valero Marketing and Supply, will produce the neat SAF from used cooking oil and food waste, a process approved by International Sustainability &amp; Carbon Certification.&nbsp;Valero will blend the fuel and deliver it to KMIA.
“Besides efficiency improvements, SAF is currently the most important way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in air transport,” said&nbsp;Travis Cobb, executive v-p of global network operations and aviation at DHL Express.
According to World Fuel, the neat fuel will have at least 80% lower life cycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional jet-A. DHL Express will use the SAF to provide reduced-emissions air transport services through its GoGreenPlus program, allowing customers to offset their carbon emissions via the book-and-claim system.
Brad Hurwitz, senior v-p of supply and trading at World Fuel, said, “Our company has been headquartered in Miami for all its 40-year history. Our global footprint has expanded over the years to include offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and while we have been actively working to increase the availability of lower-carbon fuels across the globe, bringing SAF to customers in our hometown makes it much more special.”
KMIA director and CEO Ralph Cutié added, “This announcement is especially rewarding because it follows MIA’s airport carbon accreditation by Airports Council International in July because of our verified dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our commitment to expanding our climate goals and reduction targets.”
In the broader landscape of SAF development, companies like CleanJoule are developing solutions such as CycloSAF, a fuel derived from biomass with the potential to be used as 100% SAF without blending with fossil-based fuels. Unlike traditional SAFs, which are capped at a 50% blend due to density limitations, CycloSAF's composition of cyclo-paraffinic hydrocarbons allows it to match the density of conventional jet-A/A-1 fuel, making full adoption feasible. With a higher energy content and the ability to replace essential aromatic hydrocarbons, CycloSAF not only improves energy efficiency but also addresses key operational requirements for jet engines.
CleanJoule’s ongoing efforts to scale production, coupled with advancements from companies like World Fuel Services and DHL Express, signal a growing momentum in the shift toward low-carbon aviation, as the industry aims to meet ambitious decarbonization targets by 2050.
Efforts to integrate SAF are gaining momentum this year, with countries like China also exploring the potential of the fuel to reduce emissions. China recently launched a pilot project involving 12 flights using SAF in 2024, operated by major airlines such as Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Although SAF is typically blended with kerosene, full use of SAF in aircraft is certainly possible, and the project marks a significant step towards larger-scale adoption. However, China’s SAF development still faces challenges, particularly due to high costs and limited government policies to incentivize production.
Despite these hurdles, China’s civil aviation plan aims for increased SAF consumption, with future projections indicating significant growth in demand, potentially reaching 86 million tonnes by 2050. Han Jun, deputy director of the country’s Civil Aviation Administration, explained that in order to achieve “large-scale application, it is necessary to promote various pilot projects and strive to build a SAF development path that conforms to national conditions.”
Initiatives like the Minnesota SAF Hub are also contributing to the SAF landscape in 2024. Recently, the hub delivered its first 7,000-gallon shipment of SAF, produced from winter camelina, to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. This feedstock, known for its low carbon intensity, is cultivated locally and processed into SAF through collaborations with stakeholders such as Cargill and Montana Renewables. Delta Air Lines marked this milestone with flight DL 2732 from Minneapolis to New York, the first to be partially fueled by this particular SAF.
The Minnesota SAF Hub's ongoing efforts include establishing a local blending facility by 2025. By leveraging local agricultural resources and policies such as the state’s SAF tax credit, Minnesota is positioning itself as a leader in SAF production, contributing to global efforts to decarbonize air travel and create economic opportunities for the region's farmers. Peter Frosch, president and CEO of the Greater MSP Partnership, commented, “This first batch of camelina SAF is a demonstration of how we plan to decarbonize air travel and improve water quality on agricultural lands.”
Other important players in the industry are expanding their SAF commitments. TotalEnergies recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Air France-KLM to supply an additional 1.5 million tonnes of SAF over the next decade, building on a previous 2022 agreement. Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM Group, said, “Securing the volumes of more sustainable aviation fuel needed to decarbonize our activity is a major challenge.”
This deal, which will deliver nearly 1.9 billion liters of SAF in total, aims to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to jet-A. Primarily fueling Air France-KLM flights from France and the Netherlands, the agreement aligns with European legislative goals mandating increased SAF use, starting at 2% by 2025 and rising to 70% by 2050. TotalEnergies will produce the SAF from waste and residue feedstocks, ensuring compliance with strict sustainability standards.

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