The newest A321 in Delta’s fleet has taken its initial flight– completely carbon-neutral, a first for Delta as it continues to make strategic moves to bolster its ongoing sustainability commitments.

Delta has partnered with Air BP to supply biofuels for an initial 20 delivery flights from the Airbus final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, which are manufactured and refined via sustainable sources and processes. The first flight will depart Mobile for a facility in Kansas City where final induction work will be performed before the aircraft moves into service for Delta’s customers across its domestic route network.

“Today’s carbon-neutral delivery flight is a milestone on Delta’s sustainability journey as we work to cut carbon emissions in half by 2050,” said Alison Lathrop, Delta’s managing director – global environment, sustainability and compliance. “We are excited to partner with Air BP and Airbus to power these delivery flights with biofuels and carbon offsets, and will explore opportunities to bring this level of sustainability to all delivery flights going forward.”

Since 2005, the airline has reduced its jet fuel consumption, leading to an 11% decrease in emissions as it works toward its long-term goal of achieving carbon-neutral growth and reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2050. Delta was the first and only U.S. airline to voluntarily cap carbon emissions at 2012 levels by purchasing carbon offsets ahead of the ICAO CORSIA implementation, which caps international emissions at 2019/2020 levels.

Customers can join Delta in offsetting the environmental impact of their flights by visiting delta.com/co2.

“Airbus is committed to being part of the solution for meeting aviation’s global CO₂ emissions reduction targets,” said Simone Rauer, head of aircraft operations for environmental affairs at Airbus. “Contributing to a lasting decrease of our industry’s carbon footprint is key to ensuring a sustainable future for aviation.”

“We are proud to help Delta achieve its sustainability goals for the maiden voyages of their new Airbus aircraft,” said Jon Platt, CEO of Air BP. “Air BP is supplying sustainable aviation fuel, produced by Neste, for 20 delivery flights, and through the BP Target Neutral program we are offsetting the residual carbon emissions of each delivery flight. This is another example of BP’s commitment to advancing the energy transition and helping our customers meet their lower carbon goals. We hope this project inspires others to follow suit.”