Delta Air Lines is a major US carrier operating scheduled passenger and cargo flights globally.
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Delta reports verified emissions but absolute totals are rising sharply—60.6Mt in 2024 versus 48.6Mt baseline, negating intensity gains. Jet fuel dominates at 90% of footprint with minimal renewable energy penetration. A greenwashing lawsuit and weak climate lobbying alignment reveal a company talking sustainability while opposing meaningful regulations.
Delta Air Lines scores 23/100 (Significant gaps) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places Delta Air Lines joint 767th of 847 companies scored, and 9th of 9 in Aerospace.
Delta Air Lines sits at the bottom of the aerospace pack.
Among the 9 major aerospace brands we've scored, Delta Air Lines sits 9th of 9.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
Scope 1 intensity per seat-mile improved 6.6% since 2019, but intensity gains are overwhelmed by rising absolute volumes.
Delta has no published biodiversity policy, TNFD disclosure, or nature risk assessment.
No comprehensive renewable energy strategy for core operations.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Transparency & Accountability (7/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Nature & Biodiversity Impact (1/10, 1/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Delta Air Lines.
GE Aerospace discloses Scope 1 and 2 emissions with third-party assurance and genuine 43% reductions, but Scope 3 — representing 99.8% of total emissions — is limited to engine use-of-life and expected to rise with travel demand.
See the breakdown →Air Europa discloses intensity-based CO₂ claims against a 2015 baseline while withholding absolute emissions figures—a 3–5 million tonne annual footprint sits entirely unquantified.
See the breakdown →Boeing's footprint is dominated by the emissions from flying the airplanes it sells: 646 million tonnes CO2e for commercial airplanes delivered in 2025, up from 352 million in 2024.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 15 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Delta Air Lines is a major US carrier operating scheduled passenger and cargo flights globally. Founded in 1924 and headquartered in Atlanta, it is one of the world's largest airlines by revenue (FY2024: $61.6B) and fleet size. Aviation's carbon intensity and scale make decarbonization a sector-defining challenge.
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