India announces 1% SAF mandate from 2027: Reports

The Union Government of India has announced indicative blending targets for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) starting at 1% from 2027, according to reports published in the Indian media.

The announcement was made by the country’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohal. He said the blending targets would gradually step up from 1% in 2027 to 2% in 2028 and 5% by 2030.

The minister however did not clarify which airports will be designated for these blending targets.

Multiple public sector companies in India have already announced plans to develop SAF supplying including production at existing refineries. Several of these have done MoU with globally renowned SAF technology firms to explore the potential of producing SAF and eSAF in the country through HEFA, alcohol-to-jet and methanol-to-jet pathways.

Earlier in June, India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh said it is working on launching a SAF policy to attract investment in the sector.

The Uttar Pradesh Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2025 will be the first of a kind in the country with goal to position the state as the manufacturing hub for SAF.

The policy was announced by state’s chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh on the sidelines of Invest UP event. The policy details were shared during the day in a roundtable where representatives from the private sector also confirmed their willingness to invest in the sector.