United Airlines adds new corporate partner to Sustainable Aviation Fund

United Airlines’ airline companies include Air Castle (Marubeni-Mizuho Leasing Company), Air New Zealand, Embraer, Google, HIS, Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, Safran Corporate Ventures, and Technip Energies. announced that it has joined 22 partner companies. United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight FundSM is the first of its kind to reduce emissions and advance sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production through investments in startups.

These corporate partners make up every part of the aviation supply chain, including airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel producers, engineering and technology experts, financiers, and travel management, and they bring strategic expertise to the table. We have now committed more than US$200 million while working together to deliver. Assists the Fund’s portfolio companies in reaching commercialization.

Since its establishment in February 2023, the fund is the aviation industry’s first and only venture fund, backed by a broad and limited partner base, and is focused on developing raw materials and technology with a focus on increasing SAF supply. It was established to identify and support emerging companies.

The company is incorporating methods that allow consumers to participate as well. Anyone using United.com or the United app has the option to donate to supplement United’s investment in the UAV Sustainable Flight Fund.^SM before checking out. In less than 12 months, since February 2023, more than 115,000 people have donated nearly US$500,000.

SAF is an alternative to traditional jet fuel that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with air travel compared to traditional jet fuel alone on a lifecycle basis.

“SAF is the best tool we have to decarbonize aircraft, but it’s not enough. To create the fuel supply needed for aircraft, United Airlines has to build an entirely new industry from scratch. “We realized we needed to support it, just like we’ve done with wind and solar for the past few decades,” said Andrew Chan, managing director of United Airlines Ventures. “As part of our efforts to build a new sustainable aviation ecosystem, we have hired a group of partners with industry expertise to support startups with both financial and strategic capital, helping them move from concept to commercialization. We helped them navigate the entire process.”