--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: For Delta Air Lines, Sustainability and Innovation Go Hand in Hand image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # For Delta Air Lines, Sustainability and Innovation Go Hand in Hand Delta Air Lines’ work to connect the world is defined by delivering meaningful experiences for customers while making positive impacts in the communities where its employees and customers live, work and serve. Central to this work is Delta’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact. From working to advance sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and setting ambitious goals to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, to implementing programs and products that reduce single-use plastics and waste across its operation, sustainability is integral to the global airline’s business. Delta is also turning its commitments into action by partnering with industry trailblazers like Joby Aviation. The pioneering aerospace company specializing in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is poised to revolutionize sustainable, quiet, short-range air travel with Delta. Speaking at the 2024 TIME Earth Awards, Sangita Sharma, Director of Delta’s Sustainable Skies Lab, honored Joby Aviation for “proving that innovation and sustainability can and must go hand in hand.” Sharma shared that, “the complexity of decarbonizing the aviation industry means that no single company can do it alone. Sustainability means working together – in our roles within our own companies – and in collaboration with other partners, like Joby, to deliver a more sustainable future for those we care about.” As part of the first-of-its-kind partnership, Delta customers will have the opportunity to reserve Joby-operated service for seamless, zero-operating-emission, short-range journeys to and from city airports when booking Delta travel. Once the product is fully certified by federal regulatory agencies, it is planned for debut in New York and Los Angles – Delta is the largest operating airline in both markets that are home to some of Delta’s recent multi-billion-dollar infrastructure and experience upgrades. Joby Aviation has made remarkable progress in the development and testing of its aircraft, conducting flight testing to demonstrate the viability and safety of its innovative system. Concurrently, several teams are actively involved in assessing potential vertiport sites at launch airports, collaborating with local stakeholders and authorities to ensure seamless integration of eVTOL services into existing infrastructure once certified. Delta’s equity investment in Joby Aviation further illustrates Delta’s commitment to this collaboration and highlights its efforts to elevate the customer experience with innovative, elevated products that have sustainability and convenience at their core. By embracing emerging technologies and fostering collaboration with innovative companies such as Joby Aviation, Delta is not only enhancing the customer experience but driving positive change toward a more sustainable and efficient future for travel.  [Find Out More](https://www.delta.com/us/en/about-delta/sustainability?mkcpgn=dipd-6581z7) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/delta-air-lines/delta-at-earth-awards-sustainability-and-innovation-go-hand-in-hand/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/delta-air-lines/delta-at-earth-awards-sustainability-and-innovation-go-hand-in-hand/"},"headline":"For Delta Air Lines, Sustainability and Innovation Go Hand in Hand","datePublished":"2026-07-20T09:47:15.955Z","dateModified":"2026-07-20T09:47:07.651Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/delta-air-lines/delta-at-earth-awards-sustainability-and-innovation-go-hand-in-hand/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/delta-air-lines/delta-at-earth-awards-sustainability-and-innovation-go-hand-in-hand/","name":"For Delta Air Lines, Sustainability and Innovation Go Hand in Hand"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Earth Awards 2024 Delta Spotlight","description":"TIME Earth Awards 2024 Delta Spotlight","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1F1DnyZy/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-06-27T15:18:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1F1DnyZy.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/branded-content/delta-air-lines/delta-at-earth-awards-sustainability-and-innovation-go-hand-in-hand/","duration":"PT3M42S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/branded-content/delta-air-lines/delta-at-earth-awards-sustainability-and-innovation-go-hand-in-hand/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```