India's First Commercial Flight Powered By Indigenous Sustainable Aviation Fuel Flies From Pune To Delhi

In a significant development towards decarbonising of the aviation sector, India’s first commercial passenger flight using indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend was successfully flown on Friday (19 May).

An Air Asia flight powered by SAF blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF) flew from Pune to Delhi on Friday.

The SAF blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF) was produced by Praj Industries Ltd by using indigenous feedstock, supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and used by Air Asia.

The special flight was received by Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at the airport.

Describing the occasion as a significant milestone in the country's efforts towards net zero emissions by 2070, Puri said, “I am glad to witness this historic occasion and receive the first commercial flight fuelled by SAF blended ATF. This would be the First domestic commercial passenger flight with SAF blending up to 1 per cent as demonstration mode”.

“By 2025, if we target to blend 1 per cent SAF blending in Jet fuel, India would require around 14 crore litre of SAF/annum. More ambitiously, if we target for 5 per cent SAF blend, India required around 70 crore litre of SAF/ annum”, the minister said.

Highlighting the need of alternative and sustainable fuel sources, Puri said, “In the recent years SAF production technology has progressed significantly. Unlike traditional jet fuels, SAF is produced from renewable sources such as agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, and forestry residues. This means that SAF has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to conventional jet fuel”.