Thirteen airlines have agreed to collaborate on a plan to provide all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) with access to sustainable aviation fuel, a low-carbon sustainable biofuel, as an alternative to jet fuel. It is believed that wider use of sustainable aviation fuel will help reduce the environmental impact of the aviation industry and its forecasted growth.
The partner airlines have agreed that a minimum of 10 percent of sustainable jet fuel be produced locally from sustainable sources within 10 years. This percentage should increase to 50 percent by 2050.
“Creating a market for sustainable aviation fuel in Washington state will require groundbreaking partnerships in aviation, agriculture, finance and public policy,” says Courtney Gregoire, commissioner for the Port of Seattle. “We appreciate the efforts of airlines at Sea-Tac who support this innovative effort to protect our environment and advance a clean-energy economy.”
In 2017, the Port of Seattle Commission’s energy and sustainability committee, Gregoire and Commissioner Fred Felleman, led the development of these goals and championed their unanimous passage in December 2017.
The plan will study the use of sustainable aviation fuels in addition to other ways to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of commercial aviation.
“We will look back on this important collaboration between the airlines and the port with pride, knowing it was a major step toward the aeronautical industry’s sustainable path to success,” says Felleman.
