Delta flight from Minneapolis to New York City using camelina-based SAF departs Sept. 25

The first Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport flight departure fueled by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) takes to the skies Sept. 25.

Delta Air Lines has designated flight DL 2732 from Minneapolis to New York on Sept. 25 as the symbolic first flight to be fueled in part by SAF from MSP Airport.

The SAF was made from camelina oil grown and crushed in the Upper Midwest.

According to the Greater MSP Partnership, this is the first commercial flight in North America to be fueled by camelina-based SAF.

Cargill worked with Minnesota and North Dakota growers last fall to plant 2,000 acres of winter camelina, which was harvested this summer and used as a feedstock for the SAF.

The camelina was processed at Cargill’s West Fargo crush plant in North Dakota and then sent to Montana Renewables in Great Falls, Montana, where it was refined and blended into SAF.

The camelina SAF was sold to Delta and transported by Shell Aviation directly to the MSP Airport fueling facility where it will enter the fuel supply.

Delta will cover the cost of the SAF that would be needed for flight DL 2732 from Minneapolis to New York in recognition of New York Climate Week, displacing conventional jet fuel that is traditionally used.

While this current 7,000-gallon batch SAF was produced and blended in Montana, the Minnesota SAF Hub recently announced that a new SAF blending facility at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend facility will blend SAF locally by late 2025.

Additionally, a Gevo ethanol plant in Luverne, Minnesota, is planning to convert its facility to SAF production in the future.

“This initial SAF delivery is another example of how we are making SAF real in Minnesota and showing the world how to do it right,” said Peter Frosch, president and CEO of the Greater MSP Partnership. “We are highlighting the first SAF flight from MSP International as another major milestone in our push to build a SAF economy anchored in Minnesota. This ambitious effort is moving fast and gaining momentum due to the bold leadership of Minnesota SAF Hub partner organizations … The fact that this first flight is fueled with SAF made from camelina, an innovative regenerative agricultural crop grown in Minnesota, is a breakthrough far beyond what we thought possible just six months ago. Our partners at Ecolab and the University of Minnesota deserve special thanks for their contributions, which made this innovation possible.”

Frosch added that Minnesota is an ideal state to lead in the development of the SAF industry for many reasons, including the nation-leading refundable SAF tax credit the state passed in 2023.

“Supplying the SAF to MSP marks another significant milestone in the decarbonization of air travel,” said Bruce Fleming, the CEO of Montana Renewables. “Not only does it bring SAF to Minnesota flights, but we are especially pleased to pioneer camelina oil as a nonfood renewable that provides additional cash crop potential for farmers.”