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. 

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. Today, Delta announced that it 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. 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. 

“65 percent of Delta people are in a position daily to directly contribute to our operational KPIs for reducing fuel usage, improving fuel efficiency and driving millions of dollars in cost savings each year that, in turn, contribute to profit sharing,” said Delta Carbon Council Director, Jesse Miers. “It’s a true team effort that adds up quickly.” 

*Compared to 2019, and relative to what we would have used if Delta had not undertaken any fuel efficiency efforts, not including fleet renewal.     

Delta’s Carbon Council works across nearly all of Delta’s frontline teams and is critical in driving a number of initiatives, including: 

• Enhanced foam engine wash
• Fuel burn reduction
• Winglet enhancements
• APU run-time reduction

These are just some of the many ways Delta’s Carbon Council are working to make operational changes to save on jet fuel. As Delta continues to work toward more fuel savings, the airline will continue to innovate and collaborate internally and across the industry. 

Related Topics: Sustainability