United Airlines commits $40m to green tech

United Airlines on Friday committed $40m toward a new investment vehicle focused on accelerating the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonisation technologies.

Earlier this year Wesgro announced a seasonal direct flight between Cape Town and Newark in the US by United Airlines, set to start in December 2019.

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The carrier, which earlier this year agreed to purchase up to 10 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel over the next two years, will look to collaborate with other environmentally conscious partners on this initiative.

Among all airlines around the world, United holds more than 50% of all publicly announced purchase commitments to using sustainable aviation fuels and is the only U.S. carrier to currently use this fuel on a continuous basis.

United has pledged to cut its carbon footprint in half by 2050 relative to 2005.

• READ: Jobs, money from extra direct Cape Town flights - expert

Some of United's other environmental achievements include:

• Investing more than $30m in California-based sustainable aviation fuels producer Fulcrum BioEnergy;
• Operating the Flight for the Planet last June, which represented the most-eco-friendly commercial flight of its kind in the history of commercial aviation;
• Becoming the first airline to fly with Boeing's Split Scimitar winglets, which reduce fuel consumption by an additional 2% versus standard winglets;
• Eliminating non-recyclable plastic stirring sticks and cocktail picks on aircraft and replacing them with a more environmentally friendly product made of 100% bamboo;
• Continuing to replace its eligible ground equipment with cleaner, electrically powered alternatives, with 40% of the fleet converted to date.