American Airlines and Google have signed a three-year sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) agreement covering 35 million gallons of fuel.
The companies said the agreement represents the largest publicly announced sustainable aviation fuel certificate deal between an airline and a single corporate customer.
The agreement is expected to result in nearly 300,000 metric tons of CO2e emissions reductions, the companies said.
American will purchase and take delivery of the fuel at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) through existing airport fueling infrastructure. The sustainable aviation fuel portion will be produced from waste feedstocks, including used cooking oil.
Google will receive the environmental benefits through the SAFc Registry, a so-called “book-and-claim” system that tracks sustainable aviation fuel certificates.
The arrangement allows American to use the physical fuel in its operation while Google applies the emissions benefits to address the environmental impact of employee business travel emissions.
American said the long-term agreement helped the airline secure a new sustainable aviation fuel supply with Valero Marketing and Supply Company.
“Our industry-leading agreement with Google is a critical step forward in reducing emissions from our operations,” said Jill Blickstein, American’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “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.”
Google Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt said the agreement sends a demand signal intended to bring more sustainable aviation fuel to market.
“This strategic collaboration with American Airlines demonstrates how companies can work together to scale critical sustainability technologies,” Brandt said.
The companies said Illinois’ sustainable aviation fuel tax credit helped make the agreement possible by supporting deliveries to O’Hare.
“This agreement demonstrates how our nation-leading SAF tax credit can bring industry leaders together as we work toward a more sustainable future,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
American also worked with Google, Contrails.org and Flightkeys on a 2025 trial that integrated contrail-avoidance planning into the airline’s flight operations. American said the 16-week trial produced a 62% reduction in contrail formation.
The companies say sustainable aviation fuel can reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional jet fuel, depending on feedstock and production methods. But supply remains limited and production costs are still far higher than petroleum-based jet fuel.
American and Google said the agreement is intended to help create the long-term demand needed to support more SAF production.