Decarbonisation: Air Asia India operates India's first flight using sustainable aviation fuel

According to a press release, Air Asia India flight i5-767 departed from Pune to New Delhi using a blend of indigenous SAF supplied by IOCL in partnership with Praj Industries.

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri received the special flight at the Delhi airport.

"This flight is a significant milestone in the country's efforts towards sustainable aviation and demonstrates the commitment of the Air India group, IOCL, and Praj Industries, with the support and guidance of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, to develop and propagate indigenous solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of aviation and pave the way for the widespread adoption of SAF in India," Air Asia India said in a media release.

Describing the development as a significant milestone in the country's efforts towards net zero emissions by 2070, Petroleum Minister Puri stressed on developing indigenous solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of aviation.

"This would be the first domestic commercial passenger flight with SAF blending up to 1% as demonstration mode. By 2025, if we target to blend 1% SAF blending in Jet fuel, India would require around 14 crore litres of SAF/annum," the Minister said.