Airbus has delivered to Delta Air Lines its fiftieth A320 Family aircraft produced in the Airbus U.S. production facility in Mobile. This A321 delivery is also a significant milestone for Airbus and Delta in their wider partnership on sustainability, as it is the first of a total of 20 aircraft being delivered with a blend of sustainable jet fuel over the next year.
The sustainable jet fuel, supplied by Air BP and loaded into the aircraft by Signature Flight Support (Airbus’ fueling services provider in Mobile), is certified compliant with the sustainability requirements of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED) and the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC).
Delta Air Lines is the second U.S customer to have aircraft delivered by Airbus from Mobile using a blend of sustainable fuel. Airbus offers this option to its customers in order to promote a more regular use of sustainable aviation fuels within the industry. In the longer term, Airbus also envisions supporting industrial production of sustainable fuels for aviation in the southeastern U.S.
“Airbus is committed to being part of the solution for meeting aviation’s global CO2 emissions reduction targets, said Simone Rauer, Head of Aircraft Operations for Environmental Affairs at Airbus. “Contributing to a lasting decrease of our industry’s carbon footprint is key to ensuring a sustainable future for aviation.”
“Today’s carbon-neutral delivery flight is a milestone on Delta’s sustainability journey as we work to cut carbon emissions in half by 2050,” said Alison Lathrop, Delta’s Managing Director – Global Environment, Sustainability and Compliance. “We are excited to partner with Air BP and Airbus to power these delivery flights with biofuels and carbon offsets, and will explore opportunities to bring this level of sustainability to all delivery flights going forward.”
