Sustainable Aviation Fuel: How India is Plugging Into Global Supply Chain Opportunities SAF is defined as renewable or waste-derived aviation fuel that meets sustainability criteria. India aims to achieve 1 per cent sustainable fuel blending for all commercial flights by 2025

Air traffic volume in India is expected to rise over 380 million by FY2024, given this growth, the aviation industry is under pressure to address its environmental impact. Aircrafts primarily rely on jet fuel and account for 2.5 per cent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To combat the effects, airlines are promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

SAF is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint. 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," said Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of petroleum and natural gas of India.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced its expectation for overall renewable fuel production to reach an estimated capacity of at least 69 billion liters by 2028. SAF will comprise a portion of this growing output which is being achieved through new renewable fuel refineries and the expansion of existing facilities.

"The expected production increase is extremely encouraging. Seeing this, we need governments to act to ensure that SAF gets its fair production share. That means, in the first instance, production incentives, to support aviation's energy transition. And we need continued approval for more diversification of methods and feedstocks available for SAF production. With these two measures successfully in place, we can be confident that the expected 2028 production levels will be realistically aligned with our recently published roadmaps to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. That is important as we are counting on SAF to provide about 62 per cent of the carbon mitigation needed in 2050," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General in its 79th AGM.

Recently, AirAsia India, Air India's low-cost subsidiary, successfully operated the flight on Pune-Mumbai sectors using an indigenously produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend.

To meet the target of one percent SAF blending in ATF, India would require around 14 crore litre of SAF per annum. "More ambitiously, if we target for 5 per cent SAF blend, around 70 crore litre of SAF/ annum will be required," the petroleum minister said on the successful operation of the flight.

On May 4th, Vistara operated a commercial, domestic flight on a widebody aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), becoming India's first airline to do so. The carrier used its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the flight between Delhi and Mumbai. The flight used a blend of 17 per cent SAF with 83 per cent conventional jet fuel and reduced approximately 10,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions. "Vistara is keen on minimizing its carbon footprint, keeping up with the global trend of the aviation industry moving towards a sustainable future," Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara commented.

Earlier this year, Air India placed a huge order comprising of 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, as well as 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. "Air India is committed to sustainability goals set by IATA. The new aircraft order should be seen in the perspective of this commitment as the aircraft will be more efficient with less emission. Apart from this, we have also been working with CSIR-IIP on the development and adoption of SAF at scale," said an Air India spokesperson.

According to a blog by Airbus, a leading manufacturer of aerospace products worldwide, since 2011, SAF has powered more than 450,000 commercial flights around the world. However, global SAF production represents 0.03 per cent of fuel use (based on pre-pandemic numbers) and in 2021, was less than 1 per cent of operated flights. An expected production capacity would need to reach 449 billion liters through incentives and long-term policies that would encourage SAF use in order to achieve the industry's long-term aspirational goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

India's largest airline IndiGo has joined the World Economic Forum's Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) initiative and aims to blend 10 per cent SAF in all aviation fuel consumption by 2030. It is awaiting the delivery of aircraft operating on SAF from Airbus and is also working with research institutes to explore options for sustainable aviation fuel. Additionally, IndiGo becomes the first airline in Asia to land using GAGAN-aided approach, which will enhance safety and reduce fuel usage.

However, SAF is much more expensive compared to the traditional fuel and can be one of the biggest impediments. Akasa Air co-founder Aditya Ghosh in the CAPA summit highlighted the same. "India can play a leading role with respect to sustainable aviation fuel by plugging into the global supply chain opportunities. Airlines and airports will be pushed to take sustainable measures but currently, sustainable aviation fuel is much more expensive compared to traditional fuel."

The aviation industry should aim for carbon-neutral growth through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme set up by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "The IATA scheme recommends that aviation industries gradually introduce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The application of this increasingly available fuel can produce massive GHG reductions (65-100 per cent) concerning currently used fossil jet fuel. Although a change in aviation fuel is generally followed by a change in aircraft engines, SAF demands zero equipment or infrastructure investments," said Green Building Research Institute (GBRI) in its blog.