First commercial flight in India using indigenous sustainable aviation fuel is received by Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon. Union Minister, MoPNG, in New Delhi.
India successfully completed its first commercial passenger flight using a blend of locally generated Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which is a significant step in the decarbonization of the aviation industry. Using a blend of domestic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) provided by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) in collaboration with Praj Industries Ltd. (Praj), AirAsia India flight i5-767 left from Pune for New Delhi. Hardeep Singh Puri, the honourable Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, welcomed this special flight at the airport.
With the support and direction of the Ministries of Civil Aviation and of Petroleum and Natural Gas, this flight marks an important turning point in the nation’s efforts to advance sustainable aviation. It shows the commitment of the Air India group, IOCL, and Praj Industries to create and promote homegrown solutions to lessen the impact of aviation on the environment and open the door for the widespread adoption of SAF in India. The SAF was created locally by Praj Industries utilising captive agricultural feedstock in accordance with the nation’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan objective.
Gevo Inc., which has created a ground-breaking Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology for the synthesis of SAF using bio-based feedstock, is the source of the SAF that Praj Industries is employing for this endeavour. Prior to being mixed for the unique flight, Praj created SAF samples in its R&D facility, Praj Matrix, which passed thorough testing at IOCL laboratories.
Mr. Puri stated, “I am happy to witness this historic moment and receive the first commercial flight powered by an indigenous SAF blended ATF. This event marks a critical milestone in our country’s efforts to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2070. As a demonstration mode, this would be the first domestic commercial passenger trip to use SAF mixing up to 1%. “By 2025, India will need about 14 crore gallons of SAF per year if we aim to mix 1% SAF blending in jet fuel. Even more so, if we aim for a 5% SAF blend, India will need about 70 crore litres of SAF annually.
By creating homegrown solutions to lessen the impact of aviation on the environment and open the door for the widespread adoption of SAF in India, Shri Puri reaffirmed the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister for an Atmanirbhar Bharat. He congratulated the domestic industry giants AirAsia India, IndianOil, and Praj Industries.
“We are proud to announce that AirAsia India has successfully completed the first commercial flight using a blend of sustainable aviation fuel in collaboration with IOCL and Praj Industries,” stated Mr. Aloke Singh, Managing Director of AirAsia India and Air India Express, in reference to the effort. As a member of the Tata group and an Air India subsidiary, we are dedicated to innovation and teamwork to reduce environmental effect. This trip represents an important turning point in our ongoing efforts to create a more sustainable aviation industry in India. With this programme, we intend to accelerate the use of domestic, environmentally friendly aviation fuel. Our organization’s DNA is firmly embedded with sustainability, and we are committed to moving forward in the direction of more sustainable operations.
Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, the founder and chairman of Praj Industries, commented on this breakthrough by saying, “Showcasing the capacity to fly with domestically built SAF is a historic moment for India. This is just another example of how crucial the agricultural community has been in India’s transition to energy independence and green growth, from Annadata to Urjadata. We are grateful for our continuous relationship with IOCL and are excited that AirAsia has decided to join us on this particular mission to create cleaner skies in the future.
As the biggest energy PSU in the nation, Mr Vaidya, Chairman of IndianOil, declared, “IndianOil is committed to leading the change in the oil & gas sector and ushering in a greener tomorrow.” “In line with our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision, IndianOil has committed to achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2046. We have started this journey today under the auspices of MoPNG, and I have no doubt that SAF will soon no longer be the exception but the rule in the aviation sector, Mr. Vaidya said.
Presently, around 3% of all GHG emissions are attributable to global aviation. By 2050, the emission may account for 22% of GHG emissions if it is not controlled. Regulations known as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) have been published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and they set a goal of lowering CO2 emissions from the aviation industry by 50% by the year 2050. SAF can produce significant greenhouse gas (GHG) savings as an alternative to the present usage of fossil fuels.
Source: traveldailynews