American Airlines and Google have signed the largest publicly announced sustainable aviation fuel certificate (SAFc) agreement ever recorded between an airline and a single corporate customer.
The deal will unlock 35 million gallons (132 million litres) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over three years, delivering nearly 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions reductions. American will take physical delivery of the fuel at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Under the agreement, the SAF portion of the fuel will be produced from waste feedstocks such as used cooking oil. Google will receive the associated environmental benefits to help offset emissions from employee business travel, tracked through the SAFc Registry, which provides transparent and traceable book-and-claim certification.
The long-term structure of the deal enabled American to secure a new SAF supply agreement with Valero Marketing and Supply Company. The arrangement was made possible in part by a SAF tax credit enacted by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly.
Jill Blickstein, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Airlines, said the agreement marked a significant step in the carrier’s sustainability drive. “Our industry-leading agreement with Google is a critical step forward in reducing emissions from our operations,” she said. “By working with leaders like Google who share our commitment to innovation, we’re helping to grow demand for SAF and support the development of a stronger, more resilient market.”
Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, described the deal as a demand signal to the wider industry. “This strategic collaboration with American Airlines demonstrates how companies can work together to scale critical sustainability technologies,” she said. “By entering into this long-term commitment, we are sending a vital demand signal to catalyze investment and bring more SAF to market.”
Governor Pritzker welcomed the agreement as evidence of Illinois’ position in the clean energy sector. “Illinois is proud to be at the forefront of the clean energy industry. This agreement demonstrates how our nation-leading SAF tax credit can bring industry leaders together as we work toward a more sustainable future,” he said.
SAF can reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. It is produced from feedstocks including waste oils and fats, and can also be synthesised using captured carbon dioxide and renewable electricity. It functions as a drop-in fuel, requiring no modifications to existing aircraft engines or airport infrastructure.
The global aviation industry generates more than $4 trillion in economic activity annually and supports 86.5 million jobs worldwide. It currently accounts for approximately 2% to 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Despite SAF’s decarbonisation potential, the industry has struggled to attract investment at the scale needed to bring production costs in line with conventional jet fuel.
American and its oneworld alliance partners have been working to support technologies capable of scaling cost-competitive SAF supply while limiting broader environmental impacts. The airline also continues to invest in modern aircraft and operational efficiency improvements.
The SAF agreement is not the only area of collaboration between the two companies. American partnered with Google, Contrails.org, and Flightkeys on a 16-week trial in 2025 that integrated contrail avoidance into flight planning. The trial produced a statistically significant 62% reduction in contrail formation and a substantial reduction in associated atmospheric warming.
The scale of the new SAFc deal is expected to draw attention from other major corporations seeking to address Scope 3 travel emissions, and from policymakers looking to replicate the Illinois tax credit model in other jurisdictions.
