United Airlines is betting on sustainable aviation fuel: the airline just announced an investment in a startup that creates low-carbon alternative fuel through a synthetic photosynthesis process.
The jet fuel that the company, Twelve, plans to create is projected to produce up to 90% less emissions than traditional aviation fuel.
Twelve’s fuel plant is not yet operational, but its concept shows promise. The startup captures carbon from the air and extracts hydrogen from water, then, using renewable energy, it puts the elements through an industrial version of photosynthesis to create the building blocks for sustainable fuels. It recently secured funding to build its fuel plant in Moses Lake, Washington, where it plans to produce 50,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel a year.
"United's Sustainable Flight Fund's investment reinforces our momentum at a pivotal moment as we move from innovation to implementation," said Nicholas Flanders, co-founder & CEO of Twelve.
The company got a major endorsement in 2024 when it inked a historic deal with International Airlines Group, parent company to five European airlines, including British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, Level. Under the deal, which is one of the largest sustainable aviation fuel contracts on record, Twelve will provide 260 million gallons of their low-carbon fuel to IAG’s five airlines for 14 years.
"Scaling the SAF industry is the major hurdle air travel needs to clear in order to increase the supply and reduce the price of lower carbon fuels," said Andrew Chang, head of United Airlines Ventures®. "Twelve has differentiated themselves through the capital they have raised and the SAF contracts they have secured, providing them with the flexibility to commercialize their technology and grow their operations expediently."
The investment in low-carbon fuel is one in a flurry of recent partnerships that United’s investment arm, United Airlines Ventures, has bought into recently. The firm has also launched agreements with electric air taxi company Archer and JetZero’s futuristic blended wing body aircraft with lower fuel emissions.
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