Pittsburgh Airport Is Building America's First On-Site SAF Plant

Avina Synthetic Aviation Fuel and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) are partnering to build the nation's first on-airport sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility. The plant will use the alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) pathway and is designed to produce over 100 million gallons of SAF per year. Its carbon intensity will be at least 65% lower than conventional jet fuel.

>> In Other News: Wren's 2026 Request for Proposals

Why Build SAF Directly at the Airport?

Most SAF today is made off-site and transported to airports by truck or pipeline. That adds cost and creates supply uncertainty. Producing fuel on airport property cuts the logistics chain entirely and gives airlines direct, cost-competitive access at their point of departure.

PIT is well-positioned for this. The airport already has robust energy infrastructure, available fuel storage, and a track record of energy innovation, including one of the first airport-based microgrids in the U.S. CEO Christina Cassotis has long championed the airport as a testbed for clean energy.

What Is PureSAF Alcohol-to-Jet Technology?

The technology at the heart of this project is PureSAF, developed by Swedish Biofuels AB and exclusively licensed worldwide by KBR. Swedish Biofuels patented the original alcohol-to-jet process in 2004. DARPA later validated it at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where it was tested as a 100% drop-in fuel for military aircraft and passed all specification requirements.

>> RELATED: ESAF Takes Flight: Power-to-Liquid Tech Sparks 48% Growth

PureSAF converts renewable alcohols, including ethanol, propanol, butanol, and pentanol, into fully certified jet fuel. It can also process carbon dioxide and synthesis gas, giving it feedstock flexibility that most competing SAF pathways do not have.

The fuel is ASTM-certified and fully identical to fossil jet fuel in composition and physical-chemical properties. No changes are needed to existing aircraft engines or airport fueling systems.

SAF Technology	Developer	Key Feedstocks	100% Drop-in	ASTM Certified
PureSAF (ATJ)	Swedish Biofuels / KBR	Ethanol, mixed alcohols, CO2, syngas	Yes	Yes
HEFA	Various	Used cooking oil, animal fats, vegetable oils	No (blend component)	Yes
Fischer-Tropsch	Various	Biomass, municipal waste	No (blend component)	Yes
Power-to-Liquid (eSAF)	Various	Renewable electricity, CO2, water	No (blend component)	In progress

How Big Is the Supply Gap, and Why Does Scale Matter?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects global SAF production will reach 2 million tons in 2025, double the 2024 figure. That still accounts for only 0.7% of total airline fuel use, based on IATA data from the 2025 Annual General Meeting in New Delhi. IATA estimates SAF must cover approximately 65% of aviation's emissions reductions by 2050 to reach net-zero.

The United States leads global renewable fuel capacity with over 35% of the worldwide total, ahead of Europe at approximately 22%, according to IATA. The cost of reaching net-zero aviation by 2050 is estimated at $4.7 trillion, per IATA Director General Willie Walsh. Facilities like the Pittsburgh plant are a direct part of closing that gap. Producers across the U.S. are ramping up output to meet airline decarbonization commitments.

Boeing's Backing, Jobs, and What Comes Next

Boeing publicly endorsed the project through Mike Caston, its Director of Americas Partnerships and Policy, who stated the company supports the development of advanced, synthetic fuels in the U.S. to power air travel going forward. Boeing's backing signals that the broader aviation supply chain views on-airport SAF infrastructure as commercially credible, not just aspirational.

Avina Founder and CEO Vishal Shah stated the company is committed to bringing hundreds of jobs to the Pittsburgh community and expanding the energy production ecosystem. Shah framed Pittsburgh as a national model, citing the airport's commercial and cargo demand and its regional hub connections as factors that make it a replicable template for on-airport SAF development nationally and globally.

Replacing fossil jet fuels with SAF is projected to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5% by 2050, according to KBR. Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize. On-airport production removes a core logistics barrier and brings the industry one step closer to making SAF the standard, not the exception.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Pittsburgh facility different from other U.S. SAF projects?

It is the nation's first facility designed to produce SAF directly on airport property. Most SAF is made at off-site refineries and transported to airports. On-airport production eliminates that logistics chain and lowers access costs for airlines at PIT.

What is the alcohol-to-jet pathway?

The ATJ process converts renewable alcohols such as ethanol into fully certified jet fuel. KBR's PureSAF variant also accepts CO2 and synthesis gas as feedstocks. The resulting fuel is a 100% drop-in replacement for fossil jet fuel with no changes needed to aircraft or ground infrastructure.

How does this project connect to global aviation decarbonization goals?

IATA estimates SAF must account for approximately 65% of aviation's emissions reductions to reach net-zero by 2050. Current SAF production covers just 0.7% of total airline fuel demand. On-airport production lowers the cost and logistics barriers that have slowed wider adoption.