Google & American Airlines Back 35M Gallons of SAF

American Airlines and Google announced a major sustainable aviation fuel certificate agreement.

The deal covers 35 million gallons of SAF over three years and is expected to reduce nearly 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

The companies described it as the largest publicly announced SAF certificate agreement between an airline and one corporate customer. Google will use the deal to address emissions from employee business travel, while American Airlines will use the demand to support a long-term SAF supply agreement with Valero.

The fuel will be delivered to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, one of American’s main hubs. SAF can move through existing airport fuel systems, so airlines can use it without changing aircraft or building a separate fueling network.

Corporate travel pushes SAF demand higher

The deal shows how large companies are becoming more involved in aviation emissions. Business travel is part of Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions created by activities outside a company’s own operations. For global companies, employee flights can become a visible part of their climate reporting.

Google does not control which fuel goes into every aircraft used by its employees. Instead, it can support SAF through certificates. In this model, American buys and uses the fuel, while Google receives the verified emissions reduction benefit linked to that fuel.

SAF is practical but still scarce

SAF is one of the most realistic tools aviation has today to cut emissions. It can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in current aircraft.

SAF can lower lifecycle emissions compared with traditional jet fuel, depending on how it is produced. It may be made from waste materials such as used cooking oil. The fuel still creates emissions during flight, but its full carbon footprint can be lower because it relies less on fossil fuel sources.

The problem is supply. IATA expects SAF to account for only 0.8 percent of global aviation fuel use in 2026.

Lately, Heathrow said it will invest more than $109M in its 2026 SAF incentive program to help airlines cover the higher cost of sustainable aviation fuel. The Google-American Airlines deal points in the same direction: SAF adoption will not depend only on airlines. It will also need support from corporate travel buyers, airports, fuel producers, and policy incentives.

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