PIT Takes Steps to Become a Leader in SAF Production

Pittsburgh International Airport’s innovation mindset was in the spotlight when the World Innovation Summit moved to Carnegie Mellon University for two days of conference sessions, innovation tours, pitches and networking opportunities.

“The airport signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 with CMU to make Pittsburgh the smartest airport in the world,” Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport, said in her opening remarks on Wednesday, May 14. She noted that the Future Travel Experience conference agenda, which had been dedicated to robotics in its first two years in Pittsburgh, was now focused on three core subjects: Energy and Sustainability, Advanced Technology, and Future Airports.

“The goal is to share the learnings that we’ve had along the way as we have been developing not just the terminal but the energy strategy as well as strategies around universal access and economic development,” Cassotis said. “I’m excited to see what kind of game-changing ideas come out of this conference, as they have in the past.”

An innovator that captured the most interest this year is Janta Power, which won the pitch competition for its revolutionary solar technology tower.

One of the most ambitious initiatives discussed at the conference is PIT’s efforts to increase its role as an energy hub by producing synthetic aviation fuel on site. SAF is critical to reaching the International Air Transport Association’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions for aviation by 2050. SAF uses renewable or waste-derived sources and can be blended with conventional jet fuel or used independently.

“The airline industry has always been hostage to fossil fuels,” said John Thomas, CEO of startup regional carrier Connect Airlines, which is considering PIT as a hub in the future. The airline would use advanced turboprop planes powered by electricity or hydrogen to carry passengers on short and medium-haul routes.

“We have several pathways to SAF that we’re investigating,” said Cassotis, who noted that the expansive 8,800-acre airport campus is ideal for research and development.

PIT’s other advantages include the region’s variety of plentiful feedstocks and a pipeline to the Ohio River to move SAF to different markets, all of which would make the fuel produced at the airport cost-competitive.

“All of this needs investment, you need partners,” Cassotis added.

“The market alone will not solve this. Government alone will not solve this. There needs to be continued partnership and investment,” agreed Costa Samaras, director of CMU’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority has approved a lease for 50 acres of airport land as a SAF production site in partnership with Avina. The company uses a process from KBR to create the fuel.

“This is where innovation is happening. No other place is better than Pittsburgh,” said Vishal Shah, CEO of Avina.

Cassotis said if Avina makes a final investment decision soon, the plant could be operating by 2028 and significantly impact international and cargo aircraft.

“I’m interested in seeing what that means to the cargo airlines,” Cassotis said.

Chad Willis, Vice President, Planning, Environmental, & Sustainability at PIT, said the airport is exploring a “broadstroke approach” to create options that work for the community and the aviation industry, including hydrogen.

“We have tried to be a catalyst for other airports,” Willis said. “We would love to see others emulate what we do.”

“When I took the job in Pittsburgh, I didn’t really want to run an airport; I wanted to change an industry,” Cassotis said.