Air Akasa flies India’s first commercial plane with SAF blend

India’s aviation sector has taken its first tangible step towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption, with an Akasa Air flight operating on a 1% SAF blend supplied by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).

The Mumbai–Goa flight, which departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for Manohar International Airport on September 8, became the country’s first scheduled commercial flight to operate on SAF-blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

While the 1% blend remains largely symbolic, the flight marks progress in building a regulatory framework and commercial ecosystem for SAF in India.

SAF is produced from non-fossil feedstocks such as used cooking oil, agricultural residues and municipal solid waste. As a drop-in fuel, it can be blended with conventional ATF and used without modifications to aircraft engines or airport infrastructure. Its lifecycle emissions can be lower than those of fossil-based jet fuel, although the reduction depends on the feedstock, production process and transportation involved.

Regulatory framework gathers pace

In April 2026, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, bringing SAF-blended fuel within the regulatory framework for aviation fuel marketing.

The move cleared the way for oil marketing companies, including IOCL, BPCL and HPCL, to develop commercial SAF supply frameworks. BPCL and Akasa Air subsequently signed a SAF supply and offtake agreement in July, leading to the September 8 flight.

India has also announced indicative SAF blending targets for international flights, although there is currently no blanket SAF blending mandate for domestic aviation.

Globally, several Asian markets are beginning with 1% SAF blending targets. Singapore and Thailand are starting at 1% in 2026, while South Korea plans to introduce a 1% mandate from 2027. Japan has set a 10% target by 2030.

The larger challenge for India, however, is building a reliable SAF supply chain. A 2024 Deloitte estimate projected India’s potential SAF production capacity at 8–10 million tonnes annually by FY40, requiring investments of around ₹6–7 lakh crore.

With SAF projects at refineries including IOC’s Panipat facility and planned BPCL and HPCL projects still under development, the September flight is best viewed as a proof of concept. The next test will be whether feedstock collection, production capacity and long-term offtake agreements can scale beyond demonstration flights.