Delta joins Minnesota partners to celebrate completion of new SAF blending facility near Minneapolis-St. Paul

Delta Air Lines on July 27 joined Minnesota business and government leaders to mark the completion of a new sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, blending facility intended to expand access to SAF at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Delta said the project, developed with Minnesota SAF Hub partners, will allow SAF to be blended locally and then delivered through existing pipeline infrastructure to MSP, helping the airline pursue its longer-term decarbonization goals.

Delta described SAF as an alternative jet fuel produced from renewable feedstocks. According to Delta, SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions compared with conventional jet fuel and is designed to be usable in today’s aircraft engines. Delta also said the supply constraint is the main challenge, which is why it and others are investing not only in production but also in the “last mile” infrastructure needed to scale SAF use at airports.

At the center of the celebration was a blending facility at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend Refinery. Delta said the completed facility will enable SAF to be blended with conventional jet fuel near the Minneapolis-St. Paul market and delivered directly to MSP through pipeline infrastructure already serving the airport.

Delta said the facility is expected to have the capacity to blend up to 30 million gallons of “neat” SAF annually. The airline positioned the project as a key step toward making SAF more available at one of its largest operations, noting that it uses about 250 million gallons of jet fuel each year at MSP, which it described as its second-largest hub.

The airline said Delta and Flint Hills Resources first announced plans for the facility in September 2024. The project is one of four milestones identified by the Minnesota SAF Hub, which Delta said launched in 2023 as a regional coalition aimed at building a SAF economy across the state. Delta named several partners involved in the hub, including Greater MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Ecolab, and Xcel Energy.

Delta and project leaders attending the event included Delta President Peter Carter, Flint Hills Resources executives Geoff Glasrud, and Ecolab’s Nick Alfano, along with leaders from Greater MSP and Minnesota’s state and congressional delegations. Delta said the ceremony also included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Governor Tim Walz, Congressman Brad Finstad, and state leaders including Speaker Lisa Demuth and Senator Ann Rest.

In a statement at the event, Carter said the facility represents a shared vision for Minnesota to become a leader in SAF. He added that expanding the infrastructure needed to support broader SAF adoption is an important step toward turning that potential into reality, and said Delta is “proud to be part of this effort.” Delta framed SAF as one of the most important levers for decarbonizing flight, especially as it works toward net zero emissions by 2050.

Delta also tied the Minnesota project to its broader sustainability approach. The airline said around 90% of its carbon emissions come from jet fuel, and it reiterated a target to reach 10% SAF usage by 2030. Delta said it recently announced a five-year collaboration with Shell Aviation to expand SAF availability across key U.S. hubs and priority cities, including MSP, through 2030.

Even with the completion of a blending site, Delta did not provide specific timelines for when blended SAF volumes at MSP will ramp to full capacity, nor did it outline any published contract terms that would guarantee fuel supply. Like many SAF projects, the pace may depend on upstream production and the broader availability of SAF feedstocks, which the airline acknowledged remain limited.