Infinium Deploys eSAF on American Airlines Commercial Passenger Flight
American Airlines and clean-fuels company Infinium have completed their first real-world deployment of electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) at a commercial airport for a passenger flight.
The milestone marks a key moment for next-generation eSAF, a synthetic jet fuel made from renewable energy and captured carbon dioxide (CO2). The fuel was delivered at Corpus Christi International Airport before departure and landing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, according to a release.
Prior to being allocated to American’s flight, Infinium explains the eSAF delivery was made without biobased feedstocks, demonstrating the compatibility of electro-sustainable fuel with existing aviation supply chains.
American Airlines is working to bolster deployment of low-carbon aviation solutions through an offtake agreement with Infinium for commercial volumes of eSAF. Infinium produced the fuel used during the flight at its Pathfinder facility in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Operating since late 2023, the commercial-scale site blends conventional jet fuel and power-to-liquids eFuels to meet ASTM International specifications, aligning with growing aviation decarbonization objectives in the U.S.
Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle notes that this drop-in eDiesel and eNaphtha from the facility have already been used in commercial trucks and plastics processing.
“Adding eSAF to our product slate—and seeing it power a commercial passenger flight—marks another meaningful step forward in bringing practical, low-carbon fuel solutions to industry,” Schuetzle said.
The company states its eSAF is made using CO2 waste and renewable energy, reducing lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional jet fuel. Infinium claims expanding eSAF production can reduce lifecycle GHG emissions by over 90% compared to conventional petroleum-based jet fuel.
While the fuel for this commercial flight was produced at Infinium’s Pathfinder facility, American's future commercial volumes will come from Project Roadrunner, a much larger, commercial-scale facility currently under construction. Financed by Brookfield Asset Management and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, Project Roadrunner is expected to produce over 5 million gallons of eSAF annually at full capacity.
In a separate agreement, Citi and American Airlines will use these future emissions reductions to address corporate employee business travel in 2027.
According to the International Air Transport Association, aviation currently consumes nearly 100 billion gallons of jet fuel annually, with air travel exceeding 4 billion passengers per year. Despite growing momentum, sustainable aviation fuel such as eSAF accounts for less than 1% of total jet fuel use worldwide.
"Through our partnership with Infinium, we're demonstrating how next-generation technologies like eSAF can move from early investment to real-world application,” said American’s CEO Robert Isom. “Scaling SAF production at lower prices is essential to reducing emissions, strengthening our long-term competitiveness and continuing to deliver the connectivity and economic benefits that our customers rely on."
