Sustainability

Committed to Sustainability

We are committed to Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2050. Our mission is to join arms to create a better world as the industry works to reach its sustainability goals.

The global aviation industry is a hard-to-abate sector, meaning it is innately difficult to decarbonize. We expect our path toward achieving this ambitious climate goal will include revolutionizing our fleet, investing in sustainable aviation fuel and creating operational improvements. Technological innovation, partnerships and coalitions will also be required to help us achieve our goals.

Our work doesn’t stop there. We are also committed to minimizing waste across the travel journey, electrifying our ground service vehicles and encouraging our suppliers to set net-zero goals of their own.  

ALTERNATIVE FUELS, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Our goal is to replace 10 percent of our jet fuel that is refined from fossil fuel with sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2030. We have also started executing industry-leading sustainable fuel agreements with corporate customers to support a future of more sustainable business travel.

BUILDING A MORE EFFICIENT FLEET

We focus on building our fleet to have the longest, most sustainable life possible to make the most of our planet’s resources. In 2022, we took delivery of 69 aircraft that were, on average, 25% more fuel efficient per seat mile than aircraft retired since 2019. As we continue this journey, we are partnering with aviation innovators to forge the path for the next century of flight. 

REDUCING SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

We've made enhancements to our onboard offerings including bedding made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, reusable and biodegradable service ware and premium canned wine. These products will reduce onboard single-use plastic consumption by about 4.9 million pounds per year – roughly the weight of 1,500 standard-sized cars – and significantly increase our support of minority- and women-run businesses. 

Premium With A Purpose

We are accelerating our efforts to build a more sustainable and people-first future. In Delta One® and Delta Premium Select, you will find artisan-made amenity kits from Certified B Corporation apparel brand Someone Somewhere. These handcrafted kits help reduce single-use plastic items such as zippers and packaging, reducing plastic use by up to 90,000 pounds on an annual basis.

Community Engagement
Find out about our involvement in the community and how our employees help make the communities where they work and live a better place.

Commitment to Transparency
Environmental, Social and Governance Efforts

Our 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report offers the latest data and insight into our efforts to advance our purpose of connecting people with opportunity while expanding the understanding of the planet and the people within it.

View our 2022 ESG Report and 2022 ESG Report Highlights

CLIMATE ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
Our Climate Lobbying Report for 2022 is incorporated within our ESG Report, and details our global advocacy activities and policy engagements—both direct and indirect—that support and complement our Paris Agreement-aligned climate goals. Effective policy engagement will continue to shape how we advance progress towards our climate goals and a more sustainable future for flight.

News Feed

Chief Sustainability Officer Amelia DeLuca shares some ways in which Delta is already working toward achieving an overarching environmental sustainability strategy that is designed to be durable fo...

Delta CSO: Why I’m optimistic about 2024 and our path to net zero

10 ways Delta made progress toward a more sustainable future of flight in 2023

Delta will begin its final testing of new paper cups on board transcontinental flights starting in December 2023. This latest sustainability milestone underscores the airline’s commitment to innova...

Sustainable science: How Delta is eliminating 7M pounds of single-use plastic on board with new paper cups

A transformative initiative has taken flight with the formation of Americans for Clean Aviation Fuels, of which Delta is a founding member.

Delta leads diverse coalition to harness the economic power of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Through the GREATER MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Delta Air Lines, Ecolab and Xcel Energy have established the first large-scale SAF Hub in the U.S. with unparalleled collaboration among key pl...

Minnesota SAF Hub launches first-of-its-kind coalition to scale sustainable aviation fuel

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most promising lever known today to accelerate progress toward a net zero future.

SAF explained: How Sustainable Aviation Fuel will power a more sustainable future

Effective Aug. 1, Amelia DeLuca will return to Delta’s Global Sustainability team as Chief Sustainability Officer. Delta’s commitment to achieving net zero by 2050 through decarbonizing our airline operations remains a business imperative.

Read More: https://news.delta.com/amelia-deluca-lead-deltas-net-zero-journey-chief-sustainability-officer

Delta displayed its sustainability strategy in action as part of the second annual SkyTeam Alliance Sustainable Flight Challenge. The challenge tests sustainable solutions as the company works toward net zero emissions by 2050 while delivering elevated, more sustainable travel experiences. These flights showcased the company’s strategy in action from the electric ground support equipment to reducing single-use plastic onboard and actions that reduce emissions.

Read More: https://news.delta.com/delta-participates-skyteams-sustainable-flight-challenge-showcases-sustainability-strategy-action

Ground support equipment at Delta's hubs in Salt Lake City and Boston are nearly entirely powered with electricity, a huge step toward the airline's aspirational goal of a 100% net-zero ground operation around the world.

Read More: https://news.delta.com/tugs-tractors-and-belt-loaders-nearly-all-electric-two-delta-hubs

Delta will purchase up to 10 million gallons of neat SAF from Shell Aviation over a two-year period for use at its hub at Los Angeles International Airport. This will increase the global airline’s SAF commitments to over 200 million gallons – more than halfway to its goal of SAF comprising 10% of its fuel use annually by end of 2030*, and well on its way to 35% SAF use by 2035.

Read More: https://news.delta.com/delta-shell-aviation-saf-agreement-fuel-lax-hub-and-accelerate-aviation-decarbonization

Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer Pam Fletcher outlines the company’s bold strategy for achieving net zero-emissions and more sustainable travel by 2050, including scaling the sustainable fuel market, innovating for the fleet of the future, addressing single-use plastics and encouraging net-zero supply chains.

Read More: https://news.delta.com/business-imperative-delta-outlines-roadmap-more-sustainable-travel

 

View all of our sustainability updates.

Reports

Policies
Statements on this webpage that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our expectations and goals, should be considered “forward-looking statements” under the federal securities laws and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations and goals. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.