Delta Air Lines and biofuels maker Gevo say the airline will buy 10 million gallons (39.4 million litres) of biofuel annually in an effort to reduce the carrier’s carbon footprint and meet global aviation sustainability goals. The Atlanta-based airline has committed to carbon-neutral growth and to reducing emissions 50% by 2050. While more expensive than conventional fossil fuels, sustainable aviation fuel can provide significant environmental benefits because the lifecycle carbon footprint can be up to 75% less than conventional jet fuel, the companies say in a joint statement on 17 December. “Long-term investments such as our agreement with Gevo are critical to Delta’s goal to lower our carbon footprint while planning for a more-sustainable future,” says Graeme Burnett, Delta’s senior vice-president of fuel management. “Fuel is an airline’s biggest area of impact and therefore presents our greatest opportunity to drive solutions that care for the planet.” Gevo adds that fuel to be supplied to Delta is composed of “inedible, industrial corn products”, with its patented process separating the sugar from the proteins in the corn product. “The sugars are then used to make the jet fuel, while the proteins are fed to livestock,” the company says. “After capturing and converting the livestock manure into biogas digestors that can displace fossil-based natural gas, the solids produced are used as fertiliser for the fields, thereby creating a continuous, renewable manufacturing cycle.” Delta’s agreement with Gevo follows a $2 million investment in Northwest Advanced Bio-fuels for study of a facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel and other biofuel products from forest floor debris, which was announced in September. The study should be completed in 2020, upon which the airline will assess next steps. If successful, Delta’s biofuel project could provide about 10% of its annual jet fuel consumption on the West Coast and serve as a blueprint for future projects, the airline said in September. Gevo’s fuel will be produced in its facility in Luverne, Minnesota and will be available to Delta between 2022 and 2023.

Source: Cirium

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has downgraded the safety status of Venezuela, assigning it a Category 2 rating under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program. The rating shift comes after it was determined that Venezuela’s Civil Aviation Authority is not adequately complying with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards about regulating and supervising local airlines. As a result, Venezuelan airlines are banned from adding flights to the United States. Flights between both countries were prohibited on 1 May by the US Department of Transportation and Homeland Security due to political unrest in the South American country. In 2017, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which assesses the safety of airlines individually, prohibited Avior Airlines from operating flights to the EU. The airline remains on the blacklist.

Source: Cirium

Turkish carrier AtlasGlobal is preparing to restore services, after re-opening its reservations system after nearly a month-long suspension. AtlasGlobal temporarily halted services on 26 November after admitting to financial difficulties. But it states that the booking engine has been re-opened and that it will restore flights from the morning of 21 December. Tickets for flights during the period of suspension were “put on hold”, says the carrier, and it is inviting passengers to contact the airline or travel agencies to make changes. AtlasGlobal has not indicated the reason for its ability to resume services. It has not disclosed whether, or from what source, it has received any financial assistance.

Source: Ciriium