In the Summer of 2025, 
United Airlines (UA) and Neste brought sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to these three airports for the first time: 
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, 
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, DC. The partnership represents the first time that any airline has operated to the three hubs, flying on SAF.
The new locations build on the successful SAF operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) where Neste have been supplying UA since last year. The term of the SAF contract at IAH is until the end of this month, while EWR and IAD are scheduled for SAF flights until next year.
United & Neste: Growing Together
Neste has been supplying SAF to United at O’Hare since August 2024 and provided the alternative fuel to UA’s fleet at SFO over the past as well. At SFO, the California stat government’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is supporting the use of renewable fuels, which both incentivizes carriers and helps offset development costs for suppliers.
United has been happy with the results and takes the top spot for SAF operators in America. The airline burned 4,300 metric tons (13 million gallons) of SAF last year, when only two major hubs were using the alternative fuel. The contribution of major carriers like UA toward emissions reduction is key to lowering the 2-3% of green house gases that air transport accounts for, worldwide.
The global commercial aviation industry uses about 4.3 billion gallons of fuel per year, according to the World Economic Forum. As small as 13 million gallon may be by comparison, it is still a huge leap forward in progress compared to previous years. United Chief Sustainability Officer, Lauren Riley, was quoted in a Neste press release regarding the expanded SAF supply agreement:
“United remains the leading SAF user in the US… we recognize that the growth of the SAF market requires support from both state and federal governments.”
Cleaning Skies By Burning Trash
Neste’s MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is blended with conventional jet fuel before use and currently certified for use at up to a 50% ratio. Neste uses 100% renewable raw materials to make its SAF product, including used cooking oil and animal fat waste. The alternative jet fuel has been shown to reduce carbon emission by as much as 80%, when used unblended. The cost is much higher than conventional jet fuel, which is why government incentives are key to increasing adoption.
Currently, SAF can cost anywhere from 2-5 times the price of conventional jet fuel. Despite that high price tag, United has been saying since at least 2021 that it is pursuing emissions reduction of 100% by 2050. The airline has publicly stated on numerous occasions that it believes SAF is a better option for the environment than buying offsets, which are “emissions credits,” and it believes that the industry would have a strong appetite for the product if made readily available.
Neste Is Ramping Up
United’s “Good Leads The Way” brand campaign specifically focuses on promoting SAF use as part of a drive to do the right thing for customers, employees, communities and planet. The low global supply is a significant roadblock to widespread adoption, and partnerships like UA and Neste are helping to bring down prices and increase supply through joint development.
Neste’s global SAF production capability is 1.5 million tons ( 515 million gallons) per year, and the company projects it will grow to 2.2 million tons ( 750 million gallons) by end of 2027. Using waste is the ideal source of raw material to create SAF, but is also in demand by other industry sectors.
On top of the existing financial barrier, should it be necessary to generate the base material for SAF refinement, costs will go up again. United is pushing to raise the visibility of how beneficial SAF is in the near and long-term goal of reducing aviation emissions, with the goal of encouraging the government and wider industry to help facilitate faster mass production and widespread SAF usage.
