At Truckee Tahoe Airport, sustainability isn’t just about aviation – it’s about serving the community that calls Tahoe home. That focus was evident throughout the latest SimpliFlying Immersion, where we invited industry leaders to explore how a regional airport has successfully transitioned to offering only SAF blends while keeping costs competitive.
The day was filled with candid discussions, practical lessons, and a strong sense of collaboration beyond individual organizations. From pricing strategies to the broader impact of SAF adoption, here’s what stood out.
Rethinking the cost of SAF
One of the most insightful conversations came from Robb Etnyre, General Manager of Truckee Tahoe Airport, who openly shared how the airport approaches SAF pricing. Truckee is the first regional airport to exclusively offer a 35-40% SAF blend sourced from Neste, one of the world’s leading SAF producers.
The idea that sustainable fuel always comes at a "green premium" has long been a barrier to wider adoption. While SAF does carry a price premium, Truckee has worked to make it as feasible as possible for operators. By leveraging incentives like California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits and securing strategic supplier partnerships, the airport has been able to offset some of the added costs while ensuring that SAF blend remains the only fuel available on-site.
For attendees, this was a key takeaway: SAF pricing isn’t fixed – with the right strategy, airports can structure costs in a way that accelerates adoption without making it financially prohibitive.
Want to learn more? Download the Truckee Tahoe Airport's SAF Playbook, a practical guide outlining the key steps, challenges, and solutions in implementing SAF.
Applying Truckee’s SAF model elsewhere
As much as it was about learning about what’s working at Truckee, it was also about understanding how these lessons can be applied elsewhere. Representatives from San Francisco International Airport, Alaska Airlines, and Mojave Airport were among those exploring how to adapt Truckee’s approach to larger-scale operations.
Several themes emerged from the discussions:
A community-first approach builds long-term success. Truckee’s ability to align local stakeholders, operators, and fuel suppliers has been critical in making SAF work. Who are your most important stakeholders?
Transparency in pricing builds trust. Open conversations about cost structures and financial models help decision-makers make informed choices. How can you build trust in your ecosystem?
Collaboration accelerates adoption. Sharing data, best practices, and real-world insights allows airports and airlines to scale SAF more effectively. Can you showcase your efforts, as Truckee did on its sustainability website?
A shared commitment to progress
Beyond the insights and case studies, what stood out most was the collective drive to take action.
Throughout the day, participants were absorbing lessons from Truckee and actively discussing how to apply them within their own organizations. There was a genuine willingness to work together beyond the event, lifting the entire industry rather than focusing only on individual goals.
This sense of shared responsibility extended beyond aviation. Many conversations touched on how airports, airlines, and local communities can align sustainability efforts, ensuring that SAF adoption supports both environmental and economic goals.
Listen to our podcast interview with Robb Etnyre to learn more:
Final thoughts
Truckee Tahoe Airport has shown that practical solutions for SAF adoption already exist. The conversations sparked during the immersion reinforced that real change is happening today, not years down the road.
For those who attended, the real challenge now is turning insights into action – bringing the best of Truckee’s model into their own organizations and driving momentum across the industry.
Truckee’s success shows that SAF adoption is within reach for many more airports.
P.S. Special thanks to all our guests, as well as Robb Etnyre, Jeff Menasco, and the team at Truckee Tahoe Airport, for an insightful and energizing day!
For February 2025, we’re pleased to feature 4AIR as our exclusive Sponsor of the Month. 4AIR is leading the way with the industry’s first framework to address aviation’s climate impact – offering clear, verifiable pathways to reduce and counteract emissions. Discover their services, including compliance monitoring and The Assure SAF Registry, to advance your sustainability efforts.
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