Delta has achieved a big milestone laid out in its strategic sustainability roadmap: achieving one percent fuel burn savings, or 45 million gallons of jet fuel, from operational improvements.
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Decarbonizing Delta’s operations is central to its sustainability strategy, and the global airline is committed to making changes within its control to save on jet fuel. Delta is the first U.S. airline to achieve its near-term (2025) fuel savings goal from operational improvements.
The airline was able to achieve and surpass this goal in the first quarter of 2025 thanks to Delta’s cross-enterprise Carbon Council that works across divisions and critical teams to implement flight metrics and actions that save jet fuel. This achievement of 45 million gallons of jet fuel savings is worth more than $110M in annual cost savings for the global carrier.
Reducing fuel use was accomplished in several ways including:
– Reducing weight on board
– Introducing technology to track and reduce Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) usage between flights
– Optimizing aircraft speed and routing
– Certifying new landing procedures
– Adding drag reduction technology– like winglets – to existing fleet
Delta is also working to embed a sustainability mindset throughout the business with operational fuel-efficiency KPIs to engage employees, unify efforts and empower teams to drive impact toward Delta’s sustainability goals.
