Southwest Airlines announced the launch of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures (SARV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines dedicated to creating more opportunities for Southwest to obtain scalable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a critical component in the success of the carrier’s goal to replace 10% of its total jet fuel consumption with SAF by 2030.

The carrier also announced a $30 million investment in LanzaJet, Inc., a SAF technology provider and producer with a patented ethanol-to-SAF technology and what Southwest says is the world’s first ethanol-to-SAF commercial plant, as part of the SARV investment portfolio.

Bob Jordan, CEO, said the actions mean the carrier is “in the game by taking proactive, disciplined steps toward securing affordable SAF for Southwest, as we continue to march toward our goal of net zero by 2050.”

Southwest will continue to work with SAF producers to enter into SAF offtake agreements, while SARV will focus on managing Southwest’s SAF-related investments, including the carrier’s previously announced equity investment in SAFFiRE Renewables (SAFFiRE).

Tom Nealon, president of SARV and CEO of SAFFiRE, said, “Through SARV’s investment in LanzaJet, we’re also entering the next phase in the commercialization of SAFFiRE technology, which is designed to support the production of cellulosic ethanol that can be converted to SAF.”

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