American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) and Google have signed an agreement to purchase 35 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel certificates over the next three years, marking the largest publicly announced transaction of its kind between an Airlines and a single corporate customer.

Announced on June 9, 2026, the partnership will facilitate the delivery of physical sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) via Valero Marketing and Supply Company. The agreement is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), allowing Google to offset the environmental impact of its employee business travel.

Scaling sustainable aviation fuel

The sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc) model allows corporate customers to claim the environmental benefits of the fuel even if they do not physically consume it on their specific flights. Google will utilize the SAFc Registry to apply these emissions reductions against its corporate travel footprint.

“This strategic collaboration with American Airlines demonstrates how companies can work together to scale critical sustainability technologies. By entering into this long-term commitment, we are sending a vital demand signal to catalyze investment and bring more SAF to market,” said Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google.

American Airlines stated the agreement is a critical step in reducing operational emissions and growing market demand for SAF. According to the airline, the aviation industry currently accounts for 2 to 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Google noted that SAF has the potential to reduce air travel emissions by up to 80 percent compared to traditional jet fuel.

Legislative incentives and prior collaborations

The transaction was facilitated by a recently enacted sustainable aviation fuel tax credit passed by the Illinois General Assembly. The legislation is designed to incentivize the delivery and utilization of SAF within the state.

“This agreement demonstrates how our nation-leading SAF tax credit can bring industry leaders together as we work toward a more sustainable future. Through partnerships with innovators like American Airlines and Google, we’re strengthening Illinois’ role as a global aviation hub and accelerating the transition to cleaner energy,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

This SAFc agreement follows a 16-week pilot program conducted by American Airlines and Google in 2025. That initiative, which also included Flightkeys and Contrails.org, embedded contrail avoidance models into flight planning and reportedly achieved a 62 percent reduction in contrail formation.

AirPro News analysis

We view this 35-million-gallon agreement as a significant indicator of how corporate sustainability budgets are increasingly subsidizing the premium cost of SAF. While 35 million gallons over three years represents a fraction of American Airlines’ total annual fuel consumption, long-term offtake agreements are essential for producers like Valero to secure financing for expanded refining capacity. The use of the SAFc Registry also highlights the growing maturation of the book-and-claim model, which decouples the environmental attributes of SAF from the physical fuel, solving logistical bottlenecks at airports that lack the infrastructure to receive blended SAF directly.

Sources: American Airlines

Vertical Aerospace completed the maiden piloted flight of its final full-scale Valo electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype on June 5, 2026, at the company’s United Kingdom Flight Test Centre.

Announced in a press release on June 9, 2026, the maiden flight marks the beginning of an expanded flight test campaign. The addition of this aircraft doubles the manufacturer’s flight testing capacity as it advances toward its Critical Design Review (CDR) and a targeted 2028 entry into commercial service.

Advancing toward Critical Design Review

The flight occurred at 8:49 BST under the oversight of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), with Vertical Aerospace Test Pilot Paul Stone at the controls. This aircraft is the final prototype to join the test fleet before the company finalizes its certifiable design through the CDR process. Completing the CDR will clear the path for the assembly of the first pre-production Valo aircraft.

“Getting our latest prototype into flight testing is an important milestone because it allows us to learn faster in real world conditions and keep building momentum towards certification. Expanding the flight test fleet will help us validate the aircraft more quickly, reduce risk, and move more efficiently towards bringing Valo into service,” said Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace.

Hybrid-electric testing and program milestones

Following the conclusion of its all-electric flight test phases, Vertical Aerospace plans to retrofit this specific prototype to conduct hybrid-electric flight testing. The company previously announced on May 19, 2026, that it had commenced integration testing for its next-generation hybrid-electric propulsion system using a dedicated evaluation rig at Cotswold Airport.

The four-passenger Valo aircraft, which succeeds the earlier VX4 prototype design unveiled in December 2025, made its United States debut in January 2026. The manufacturer reports approximately 1,500 pre-orders for the aircraft from operators across four continents, including American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow Group, GOL, and Japan Airlines.

AirPro News analysis

We view the successful flight of this final prototype as a critical operational step for Vertical Aerospace. Doubling the active flight test fleet provides the data volume necessary to satisfy CAA certification requirements by the 2028 target. The planned transition of this airframe to hybrid-electric testing also indicates a strategic hedge, allowing the manufacturer to develop longer-range variants in parallel with its baseline all-electric model.

Sources: Vertical Aerospace Press Release, Vertical Aerospace

Airbus has deployed two new high-performance supercomputers, tripling its computational throughput to accelerate the digital design and testing of next-generation Commercial-Aircraft and rotorcraft.

In a company publication released on June 9, 2026, the European aerospace Manufacturers detailed its installation of two HPC6 systems provided by Bull, a European advanced computing and artificial intelligence firm. The upgraded infrastructure allows Airbus engineers to substitute physical testing with high-fidelity digital calculations, a transition the company has been advancing for two decades.

Expanding digital testing capabilities

The integration of the HPC6 supercomputers enables Airbus to evaluate complex aircraft configurations with greater precision. The application of high-performance computing at the manufacturer has expanded beyond traditional flight physics and airframe development to include powerplant and systems testing.

Engineers can now conduct digital simulations for scenarios that previously required extensive physical trials, such as birdstrike resistance on cockpit windows and engine components.

Supercomputers help create finer 3D representations of objects, enabling the exploration of more complex design and more detailed simulations to achieve higher fidelity.

Jean Gutierrez, Scientific Computing Product Manager in Engineering at Airbus, noted that the increased capacity allows the engineering team to handle larger problems. The enhanced computing power moves the design process closer to reality by reducing the allowable margin of error, which would otherwise necessitate physical testing.

Current program support and energy management

The newly installed HPC6 systems are already operational and supporting active Airbus programs. The manufacturer confirmed the supercomputers are currently utilized in the development of the Airbus A350 Freighter, alongside future Helicopters platforms.

To mitigate the energy footprint of the expanded computing infrastructure, Airbus is developing a local heat exchange system. The initiative is designed to capture the thermal output generated by the supercomputers and redirect it into local power grids.

AirPro News analysis

We view the tripling of Airbus’ computational power as a necessary infrastructure investment to maintain pace with the industry’s shift toward model-based systems engineering. As Regulations agencies demand increasingly rigorous certification data, the ability to generate high-fidelity digital simulations for extreme edge cases provides a distinct schedule advantage. The integration of a heat recovery system also demonstrates a pragmatic approach to the high energy demands inherent in advanced computing facilities.

Sources: Airbus