Air Company Debuts First Carbon-neutral Jet Fuel

DALLAS - Leading carbon technology company Air Company, which creates carbon-negative alcohols and fuels from carbon dioxide (CO₂), today announced the launch of its Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) made from captured CO₂.

The announcement comes on the heels of the first flight using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from CO₂ performed by the United States Air Force.

The importance of this novel climate technology, distributed under the name AIRMADE™ SAF, is underscored by commitments from global aviation partners to purchase over one billion gallons of AIRMADE™ SAF; including JetBlue (B6), Virgin Atlantic (VS), and Boom Supersonic, among others.

These commitments demonstrate not only the excitement and demand behind the company’s technological advancement but also the strength of Air Company’s operation and future potential.

This technology will be applied globally with significant future implications, especially as it pertains to the levels of fuel production and consumption that we see in the energy industry today. Air Company creates renewable fuels from CO₂, directly addressing our fossil fuel dependency, the leading cause of climate change.

Aviation as a whole represents 2-3% of global CO₂ emissions and is widely considered one of the most “hard to decarbonize” industries. With this announcement, Air Company and its partners aim to mitigate that impact, enabling "a circular process that has the potential to address over one billion metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually."

Using the same proprietary technology that mimics photosynthesis to create its consumer ethanol, Air Company has developed and deployed its single-step process for CO₂ -derived fuel production using renewable electricity. Further technical details on the process can be found in a white paper published by the company in the journal ACS Energy Letters earlier this year.

According to the company, AIRMADE™ SAF shows the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 97% compared to traditional jet fuel, a significant reduction in carbon intensity due to the use of CO₂ as a direct feedstock with renewable energy, creating a more sustainable carbon life cycle.

Comments from Company, Airline Officials

"Our goal as an organization has always been to expand into industries where our technology will have the largest impact and the most CO₂ reduction,” explained Gregory Constantine, CEO and Co-Founder of Air Company.

“We have been quietly working on this innovation, and we’re proud to debut this SAF technology and commercialization in partnership with some of the most impactful and innovative companies in the world."

JetBlue has signed an agreement with the intent to purchase 25 million gallons of AIRMADE™ SAF over 5 years. This agreement is in support of JetBlue Ventures’ direct capital investment into Air Company’s Series A funding round.

“SAF is the most promising avenue of addressing aviation emissions currently available,” said Sara Bogdan, JetBlue Director of Sustainability and ESG.

“With creative thinking backed by science, Air Company’s work to leverage captured carbon, a resource distinct from other SAF feedstock, represents the kind of innovation that can expand SAF availability and grow the market necessary to reach our industry goals. We’re excited to build upon this partnership established by JetBlue Ventures as we continue on our own path to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.”

Virgin Atlantic also partnered with Air Company by signing an agreement with the intent to purchase up to 100 million gallons of AIRMADE™ SAF over 10 years.

Finally, Boom Supersonic, the company building the world's fastest airliner, entered into an agreement with Air Company with the intent to purchase up to 5 million gallons of AIRMADE™ SAF on an annual basis through the Overture flight test program.

Featured image: jetBlue N763JB Airbus A320-232 jetBlue Retrojet. Photo: Matthew Calise/Airways