United to invest $40 million to further decarbonise air travel

by James Wilkinson

United Airlines is further strengthening its reputation as an aviation industry leader in environmental sustainability by committing USD$40 million toward a new investment vehicle focused on accelerating the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonisation technologies.

The carrier, which earlier this year agreed to purchase up to 10 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel over the next two years, will look to collaborate with other environmentally conscious partners on this extraordinary initiative.

Among all airlines around the world, United holds more than 50% of all publicly announced purchase commitments to using sustainable aviation fuels and is the only U.S. carrier to currently use this fuel on a continuous basis.

“United has been an industry leader in environmental sustainability – including being the first U.S. carrier to announce a bold pledge to cut our carbon footprint in half by 2050 relative to 2005,” said United’s President, Scott Kirby.

“However, to achieve this goal, we can’t be content as a leading airline undergoing an evolution to adapt to climate change.

United’s award-winning Eco-Skies program represents the company’s commitment to the environment

“We aspire to be the airline leading the revolution to fight climate change, and this new initiative will further empower us to reduce our impact on the environment and fly towards a more sustainable future,” he said.

United’s latest commitment to invest in the development of sustainable aviation fuel and decarbonisation technologies, along with its pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, represents yet another leadership position the airline has undertaken to reduce its impact on the environment.

United’s award-winning Eco-Skies program represents the company’s commitment to the environment and the actions taken every day to create a more sustainable future.

In 2017, Air Transport World magazine named United the Eco-Airline of the Year for the second time since the airline launched the Eco-Skies program.

Additionally, United Airlines ranked No. 1 among global carriers in Newsweek’s 2017 Global 500 Green Rankings, one of the most recognised environmental performance assessments of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.

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