BP Donates Jet Fuel to COVID-19 US Relief Efforts

Donations to FedEx Express and Alaska Airlines help speed delivery of personal protective equipment and other essential goods nationwide

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Apr 29, 2020, 09:03 ET

HOUSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BP (NYSE: BP) will supply 3 million gallons of jet fuel to FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX) charter flights and Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) at no cost to support the timely delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential goods to areas of the U.S. at greatest risk for COVID-19. BP will offset the carbon emissions of all donated fuel deliveries through its Target Neutral program.

"Frontline medical providers depend on PPE to treat patients suffering from COVID-19 and to save lives. BP is working to help deliver this equipment quickly by donating jet fuel to air carriers who will get supplies where they need to go," said Susan Dio, chairman and president of BP America. "COVID-19 is a human crisis. People are suffering, and BP wants to help. We're pulling together our global resources to ensure first responders, health care workers and patients know that they're not alone."

The donation builds on BP's commitment to supporting frontline workers by offering a 50-cents-per-gallon discount on fuel for first responders, doctors, nurses and hospital workers verified through ID.me, a digital identity verification system. To date, the program has distributed approximately 800,000 unique discount codes.

The donation to FedEx Express, supplied by Air BP, will be used solely for international air transportation to and from the U.S. to deliver critical medical supplies, including gloves, gowns, ventilators and masks, that support the effort to fight COVID-19. Supplies will be directed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to communities in greatest need based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fuel will be supplied by BP's Whiting refinery in Whiting, Indiana and BP's Cherry Point refinery in Blaine, Washington and delivered to Chicago O'Hare and Seattle-Tacoma International airports respectively. The fuel will supply more than 45 FedEx Express charter flights for HHS.

"FedEx is working closely with the U.S. departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and State to offer logistics support on a number of initiatives including cargo flights of personal protective equipment and medical supplies," said Don Colleran, president and CEO of FedEx Express. "The generous donation of fuel and carbon offsets from BP for these charter flights will reduce the cost for government agencies and support our commitment to sustainability across FedEx Express."

Alaska Airlines is stepping up to restore air service to several remote Alaska communities recently cut off after a local carrier declared bankruptcy. Working through BP Alaska and Air BP, the donated fuel will help Alaska Airlines to activate its response in support of the supply chain, delivering food, medical supplies, mail and emergency passenger services. With BP's contribution, Alaska Airlines will donate 1 million miles to the American Cancer Society of Alaska's Flight Partner program, which ensures that cancer patients in Alaska have access to transportation when they are required to receive treatment far from home. The fuel will be supplied by BP's Cherry Point Refinery and delivered to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Carbon emissions from the fuel donated by BP will be offset through BP Target Neutral using certified U.S. carbon offset projects. These fuel donations allow the program to retire certified carbon credits that were generated by projects around the world that reduced carbon emissions.

About BP:
BP is a global energy producer with operations in nearly 80 countries. BP has a larger economic footprint in the U.S. than in any other nation, and it has invested more than $125 billion here since 2005. BP employs about 13,000 people across the U.S. and supports more than 200,000 additional jobs through all its business activities. For more information on BP in America, visit www.bp.com/us.

Further information:
BP US Media Affairs
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE BP