Southwest Airlines sold SAFFiRE Renewables, a venture developing corn-stover ethanol for potential use in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), to Conestoga Energy in August 2025. The sale transferred a specific technology business; it does not by itself show that Southwest canceled its climate targets or ended all SAF activity. The company still lists SAF and emissions goals on its public sustainability page.
What Southwest sold
SAFFiRE Renewables was working on a process that uses corn stover—the stalks, cobs and husks left after corn is harvested—to make ethanol. That ethanol can then be upgraded into SAF. Southwest acquired SAFFiRE in March 2024, after previously investing in the business.
In August 2025, Southwest sold SAFFiRE to Conestoga Energy. Reporting on the transaction says the deal included the company’s intellectual property, related technologies, key team members and a proposed pilot facility in Kansas. The sale price was not disclosed.
A 2025 report said the pilot was expected to be operational in 2026. That was a forecast at the time, not confirmation that the facility is operating now.
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Why the sale is not proof Southwest abandoned SAF
Southwest has not established a definitive public rationale for the sale in the material available here, so it would be speculative to say why it divested SAFFiRE. The transaction shows that ownership of this particular venture changed; it does not establish that Southwest sold its entire renewable-fuel subsidiary or ended every SAF-related effort.
In February 2024, Southwest announced the creation of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures (SARV), a wholly owned subsidiary intended to pursue scalable SAF opportunities. In the same announcement, it disclosed a separate $30 million investment in LanzaJet. The announcement described these steps as part of the airline’s effort to secure SAF and linked SARV to its goal of replacing 10% of total jet-fuel consumption with SAF by 2030.
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Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan said at the time: “Our launch of SARV and our investment in LanzaJet demonstrate that we are not sitting on the sidelines. Rather, we’re in the game by taking proactive, disciplined steps toward securing affordable SAF for Southwest, as we continue to march toward our goal of net zero by 2050.” That statement records the company’s position in February 2024; it does not explain the later sale or establish how much progress has been made.
Southwest’s publicly listed climate goals
Southwest’s current public planet page lists the following goals:
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|---|---|
| Replace total jet-fuel consumption with SAF | 10% by 2030 |
| Reduce carbon emissions intensity | 50% by 2035, compared with 2019 |
| Achieve net-zero carbon emissions | By 2050 |
These are goals the airline publicly states, not verified outcomes or a guarantee they will be met. Their continued listing is relevant context for the SAFFiRE sale, but it does not reveal Southwest’s complete current SARV portfolio or confirm the execution status of any individual project.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the transaction means for readers
For anyone assessing Southwest’s environmental direction, the clearest conclusion is limited: Conestoga Energy took ownership of SAFFiRE’s reported assets and capabilities, while Southwest’s public materials continue to list SAF and emissions targets. The disclosed facts do not establish the company’s full reasoning, whether it will pursue other SAF projects through SARV, or whether the planned pilot has begun operating.
The distinction matters because a target, an investment and an operating fuel supply are different things. Southwest announced a $30 million LanzaJet investment in 2024 and a 10% SAF goal for 2030, but those announcements alone do not show that the target has been achieved. Likewise, selling one venture is not enough evidence to conclude that the broader target has been formally withdrawn.
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