American Airlines
Latest Sustainability Reporting
Highlights
- Approximately 55% of total capital expenditures in 2024 were allocated to efforts that also provided decarbonization benefits.
- Improved fuel efficiency 9.3% compared with 2013, avoiding nearly 26.8 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.
- Saved over 11 million gallons of fuel in 2024, through initiatives that included single-engine taxiing, increased use of flight optimization systems, and electrification of ground support equipment.
- Avoided 27,000 metric tons of CO2 through use of renewable fuels.
- Flew 26.3% of available seat miles with latest-generation aircraft in 2024, nearing 2025 goal of 30%.
- Signed a conditional purchase agreement for 100 hydrogen-electric engines to power regional jets in 2024.
- Achieved its 2025 renewable energy goal two years ahead of schedule by sourcing 2.5 million gigajoules of renewable energy to power its operations in 2023.
- In 2024, enhanced its profit-sharing program by doubling the allocation for the first $2.5 billion of adjusted pretax income to 10% and increasing the allocation above that to 20%.
Recent News
2024
Joined the CEF member network in December 2024!
2023
Contrail Avoidance Study (Google Research, American Airlines, and Breakthrough Energy) — This research effort brought together satellite imagery, weather, and flight path data and used AI to develop contrail forecast maps to test whether pilots can choose routes that avoid creating contrails. Over six months, pilots flew 70 test flights using AI-based predictions and contrail models to avoid altitudes likely to create contrails. Analysis found pilots were able to reduce contrails by 54%, providing “the first proof point that commercial flights can verifiably avoid contrails and thereby reduce their climate impact.” This came at the cost of a 2% increase in fuel usage, however, as a small percentage of flights need to be adjusted to avoid the majority of contrail warming, this could be brought down to as low as 0.3% across an airline’s flights (costing about $5-25/ton of CO2 equivalent). (Aug 2023)
2022
AMERICAN AIRLINES — Announced its strategic equity investment in Universal Hydrogen, a company building a green hydrogen distribution and logistics network for aviation. This network uses “modular hydrogen capsules” that are handled like cargo, eliminating the need for airports to invest in new fueling infrastructure and speeding up the fueling process. Universal aims to start hydrogen deliveries for regional aircraft by 2025. (Oct 2022)
AMERICAN AIRLINES — Announced an investment in ZeroAvia, a company developing zero-emission hydrogen-electric jet powertrains. The companies also signed an MOU granting American the opportunity to purchase up to 100 powertrains to power its regional jet operations. (Aug 2022)
AMERICAN AIRLINES — Announced it has made an investment (amount not made public) in ZeroAvia, a company specializing in the development zero-emission aircraft powertrains. American and ZeroAvia have also signed a memorandum of understanding giving American the option to buy up to 100 of ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engines, the first of which are planned to enter service in regional flights “as early as the late 2020s.” (Aug 2022)
AMERICAN AIRLINES / GEVO — Announced an agreement in which the airline will purchase 500 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biofuel company Gevo over five years. The agreement is American Airlines’ largest yet, bringing its total low-carbon fuel commitments to more than 620 million gallons—about 20% of the company’s goal of 10% SAF usage by 2030. Delivery of the fuel is expected to begin in 2026. (Aug 2021)
AMERICAN AIRLINES / NESTE — Completed the first commercial delivery of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certified to meet the Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) standards. American Airlines took possession of the fuel, produced by Neste, as part of a pilot project establish the certification process for production and delivery of SAF under CORSIA. Neste-produced SAF is made from sustainably sourced, 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials. It can be used as a drop-in replacement for traditional jet fuel, but emitting up to 80% less greenhouse gas over its life cycle. (July 2022)
2020
Mastercard launched the Priceless Planet Coalition, a platform to “unite corporate sustainability efforts and make meaningful investments to preserve the environment.” As part of the platform, the company and its nine partner organizations — including Citibank, L.L. Bean, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and American Airlines — have pledged to plant 100 million trees in 5 years. (Jan 2020)