Neste & United Airlines Extend SAF Agreements
Neste and United Airlines extended their existing agreement on the supply of SAF blended with conventional jet fuel to flights departing O’Hare in the U.S. and Amsterdam Airport in the Netherlands.
(Chicago, Illinois & Amsterdam, Netherlands) Neste (NESTE.HE) and United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) announced yesterday (Sept. 16) that they have extended their existing agreement on the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blending with conventional conventional jet fuel to flights departing Chicago O’Hare International Airport in the United States and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands.
Image of a United Airlines airliner – featuring sustainability-focused livery, including a note reading that ‘The Future is SAF’ – flying on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), courtesy of Neste.
Per Neste’s press release, the extension of the agreement “reinforces the long-term, strategic collaboration between Neste and United, highlighting a shared ambition of contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction from aviation through the deployment of SAF.”
Per the extended contract, Neste’s SAF deliveries to United at Amsterdam began in June 2026 and continued through August 2026; deliveries of SAF to Chicago O’Hare from this contract started in July 2026 and are planned to continue until June 2027. Neste will supply Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ blended with conventional jet fuel to United Airlines, according to the company.
"United was the first airline in the world to fly on blended SAF in regular operations, and we’ve spent the years since proving it can work at scale in day-to-day flying – including being the first airline to purchase and use blended SAF at Chicago O’Hare,” said Lauren Riley, Chief Sustainability Officer at United Airlines. “Continuing our work with Neste across two continents reflects a shared conviction that SAF is available and capable of being scalable.
Carl Nyberg, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Renewable Products business at Neste, said: "This extended agreement with United Airlines covering two international airports across two major aviation regions is a testament to our joint belief in the critical role of SAF in reducing aviation related GHG emissions*. By continuing to make SAF available at two of United’s key hubs, we are proving that SAF is a readily available, scalable solution, and we look forward to continuing our longstanding collaboration.”
According to the press release, United used over 83,000 metric tons (roughly 27.7 million gallons) of SAF in 2025 – a 104% increase over the prior year – making it the largest SAF user among major U.S. airlines that year, based on publicly available reports. United also expanded its SAF use to three additional hub airports in Newark, Washington D.C. and Houston, bringing the airlines’ SAF usage to six out of its seven domestic hub; at O’Hare, United was the first airline to purchase and use blended SAF in August of 2024.
In Amsterdam, United began using Neste MY SAF at Schiphol Airport in 2022.
Per today’s press release, United remains committed to reaching its net-zero emissions by 2050 goal.
As of today, Neste’s global SAF production capability is 1.5 million metric tons (around 515 million gallons) per annum, and is set to grow to 2.2 million metric tons (around 750 million gallons) in 2027, when the expansion of Neste’s Rotterdam refinery is completed, according to today’s press release.
