Airbus bolsters SAF research at Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya

Aviation conglomerate Airbus has inaugurated a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for aerospace studies at Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) in Vadodara, Gujarat. The key strong focus of the CoE would be on advancing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production and low-carbon aviation technologies.

As per official statement, the Airbus initiative marks a significant step towards strengthening India’s aviation sustainability ecosystem through targeted research, innovation and skill development.

The CoE, announced in 2024, is a key pillar of the long-term collaboration between Airbus and GSV aimed at enabling indigenous solutions for decarbonising aviation. A major research thrust of the centre will be the conversion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into SAF, supporting India’s transition to cleaner aviation fuels and a circular economy approach to fuel sourcing.

The facility was inaugurated by Jürgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, in the presence of Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad and Prof. Manoj Choudhary, Vice Chancellor of GSV.

Highlighting the sustainability focus, Jürgen Westermeier said that the CoE demonstrates Airbus commitment to research and development in breakthrough technologies, particularly MSW-to-SAF pathways that can help reduce aviation’s carbon footprint while strengthening domestic fuel security.

He added that the initiative will equip Indian students and researchers to lead the development of a future-ready, sustainable aviation ecosystem aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.

Prof. Manoj Choudhary stated, “Airbus has been the foremost leader to set up one of its kind Industry-Academia partnership with GSV which has now become a template for the country. The inauguration of the CoE is yet another tangible step to realize our shared mission and partnership for aerospace sector growth in the country, in addition earlier actions for setting up Airbus Chair Professorship and Airbus Scholarships.”

Since 2024, the Airbus–GSV partnership has expanded to include a Joint Study Agreement supporting R&D grants for SAF production from MSW. By combining academic research with Airbus’ industrial expertise, the collaboration aims to develop scalable, locally sourced SAF solutions to support India’s long-term aviation decarbonisation goals.

A recent study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has outlined that India has potential to emerge as a “leading hub” for SAF and sustainable aviation in South Asia.