The Allplane Podcast #123 with Delta Air Lines Chief Sustainability Officer, Amelia DeLuca
In this episode of the podcast we welcome Amelia DeLuca, Chief Sustainability Officer at Delta Air Lines.
Besides being one of the World’s largest airlines, Delta, is also a very active player in the field of air travel innovation and decarbonization.
Delta has committed to getting to net zero by 2050 with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) expected to play a big role in achieving this goal. To this end, Delta has signed a string of SAF deals across the US and is also working with SAF producers in several states to increase supply of this so-far scarce type of fuel. Delta intends to use 10% of SAF in its fuel mix by 2030 and to increase this figure to 35% by 2035.
But this is not the only path to decarbonization that Delta is exploring.
In fact, when it comes to sustainability, Delta is active on so many fronts that it has created the Delta Sustainable Skies Lab to gather all its sustainability-focused initiatives under one roof.
Remarkably, just as Delta is marking its centenary, it is also actively investing in technologies that promise to re-shape the way to travel in the next 100 years. Two examples of this policy are Delta’s is investment in leading eVTOL developer Joby Aviation and its strategic partnership with JetZero, a startup developing a revolutionary blended-wing-body aircraft concept capable of halving fuel consumption, all while redefining completely the passenger experience.
So, tune in to listen to Amelia talking about all these exciting projects and explaining how they fit into Delta’s vision of the future of commercial aviation!
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Things we talk about in this episode
Amelia’s career and her role as Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer
Delta’s sustainability goals
What are the main business areas and technologies on which Delta is focusing its sustainability initiatives
Delta’s work in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) development
Delta’s partnership with JetZero
Delta’s investment in Joby Aviation and its view of advanced air mobility
Research programs Delta is collaborating with, for example, in contrail formation research
Resources
The Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance, of which Delta is a member
The partnership between Delta and Airbus on sustainability
Delta’s work with MIT to study the effect of contrails on climate
SAF deals Delta has made with the following suppliers:
Picture: Delta Air Lines
JetZero, the revolutionary new aircraft concept which Delta is supporting
The announcement of the partnership between Delta and JetZero
A close look at the Joby eVTOL while in Saudi Arabia:
The plans Delta has to offer airport shuttles on Joby eVTOLs in both New York and LA
Kind of unrelated, but now that we are at it, you can check also my Delta Air Lines B767 Comfort Plus Class flight review
Podcast Music: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3762-five-armies
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Interview Transcript:
(please note that, although we strive to make it as close as possible to the original recording, the transcript may not be 100% accurate)
