India to Mandate 1% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Blending from January 2027

Key facts

• India plans to mandate a 1% blending of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) starting January 1, 2027.
• The government has outlined phase-wise indicative blending targets of 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030.
• SAF is a renewable fuel derived from alternative feedstocks including used cooking oil, crops, biogenic residues, and waste materials.
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) will begin SAF production at its Panipat refinery by September, and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) is commissioning a 60,000 tonnes per annum co-processing unit at its Mumbai refinery by the end of 2026.
• Under the United Nations (UN) framework, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), India and other participating countries must offset international flight emissions exceeding 85% of 2019 levels from January 2027.