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A possible next step for biofuels
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas are reportedly examining a roadmap for blending Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF, with conventional aviation turbine fuel. Until a formal notification is issued, this should be read as a policy direction rather than a binding mandate—but it points to aviation as the next major test of India’s biofuel capabilities.
India already has an enabling foundation. The amended National Policy on Biofuels widened the range of permitted feedstocks and brought forward the national ethanol-blending ambition, while the petroleum ministry’s biofuels programme has encouraged domestic production, waste utilisation and reduced dependence on imported fuels.
What the ethanol experience offers
The ethanol programme demonstrates the value of clear targets, assured procurement, coordinated standards and investment visibility. The NITI Aayog roadmap for ethanol blending also showed how vehicle compatibility, feedstock availability, logistics and pricing must be addressed together rather than treated as separate policy questions.
SAF, however, cannot simply replicate that model. Aviation fuel must meet exceptionally demanding safety and performance specifications, while credible SAF also requires lifecycle emissions accounting—from feedstock collection and processing to transport and final combustion. Certification and traceability will therefore be as important as the blending percentage itself.
Why aviation needs a distinct pathway
Aircraft are difficult to electrify at the scale and range required for most commercial operations. SAF is consequently among the few near- to medium-term options for lowering aviation emissions without replacing existing fleets or airport fuelling infrastructure, provided it qualifies as a certified drop-in fuel.
The international context is also becoming more consequential. The International Civil Aviation Organization’s CORSIA framework establishes emissions monitoring and eligible-fuel rules for international aviation, with its mandatory phase beginning in 2027 for covered states and routes. A domestic SAF ecosystem could help Indian airlines manage future compliance exposure while creating a new market for lower-carbon fuels.
India’s feedstock advantage—and its limits
India has several potential SAF feedstocks, including used cooking oil, agricultural residues, municipal waste and certain non-food oil-bearing materials. Production routes such as hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids, alcohol-to-jet conversion and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis could connect these resources with India’s refining, distillation and engineering capabilities.
Yet theoretical availability should not be confused with sustainable supply. Crop residues already have competing uses, waste oils require reliable collection systems, and some energy crops can create pressure on land and water. A credible mandate must exclude environmentally damaging inputs, prevent double counting and measure actual lifecycle emissions rather than assuming that every litre labelled biofuel delivers the same benefit.
Designing a bankable market
An initial mandate could focus on a small share of fuel used for international flights, followed by scheduled reviews linked to certified domestic capacity. Gradual targets would create demand visibility without forcing airlines to rely excessively on scarce imports or exposing passengers to avoidable cost increases.
Mandates alone will not finance first-of-a-kind plants. India may also need long-term offtake arrangements, viability support for early facilities, common sustainability certification, testing infrastructure and mechanisms that reduce price risk. Transparent fuel accounting—including carefully governed book-and-claim systems—could help airlines participate even where physical SAF supply is concentrated at only a few airports.
From blending target to industrial strategy
The larger opportunity is not merely to replace a fraction of aviation fuel. SAF could become an industrial platform connecting farmers, waste aggregators, biotechnology companies, refiners, airports and airlines, while creating intellectual property and exportable engineering capabilities.
India’s ethanol progress offers institutional confidence, but SAF will demand a higher standard of policy design. If the roadmap places lifecycle integrity, feedstock resilience, certification and commercial scale at its centre, aviation could become the next credible frontier of India’s energy transition rather than simply another blending obligation.
