Hawaiian Airlines to Use SAF on Osaka-Honolulu Flights

SEATTLE — Hawaiian Airlines (HA) has announced that it will use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on flights between Osaka, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawai'i, thanks to a sales agreement between its parent firm, Alaska Air Group Inc., and Cosmo Oil Marketing Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd. 

Fuel deliveries at Kansai International Airport (KIX) will begin this month, marking the first time HA has used SAF, which can reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to standard jet fuel, according to the airline group.

The use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the United States is expanding rapidly in 2025 but remains a small fraction of total aviation fuel consumption, driven by ambitious targets, new federal and state policies, and major airline commitments.

SAF Production, Capacity

U.S.-borne SAF production jumped from 2,000 barrels per day in 2020 to around 19,000 barrels per day (about 277 million gallons annually) by 2023, with projections of reaching 51,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025—potentially over 770 million gallons annually.

Despite this growth, SAF usage still accounts for less than 0.7% of aviation’s total fuel needs, with total U.S. jet fuel use exceeding 16 billion gallons per year.

Most new production comes from co-processing in renewable diesel plants, and capacity could expand to over 5 billion gallons annually within the next decade, if facility conversions accelerate.

Airline Commitments, Usage

• United Airlines (UA) leads with 2.9 billion gallons in long-term SAF commitments, aiming to use 10 million gallons in 2025—triple its 2022 usage.
• Delta Air Lines (DL) has secured 910 million gallons in offtake agreements, targeting a 5% SAF blend by 2030.
• American Airlines (AA) has 620 million gallons in future purchases and began regular annual deliveries in 2024.
• JetBlue (B6) and Air Canada (AC) have smaller but expanding SAF programs, with the latter deploying 20.5 million gallons of Neste SAF in 2025 (about 1% of its fuel requirement).
• Cargo and business aviation, along with the U.S. military and startups, are also increasingly investing in SAF production and infrastructure.