Lok Sabha Question No. 4494 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Dr. Byreddy Shabari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## Lok Sabha

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4494 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  27th March 2025 )

## PRODUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

4494.    DR. BYREDDY SHABARI Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) the current status of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production in the country along with the number of SAF pilot projects and test flights conducted;
- (b)  the steps taken by the Government to promote SAF production including partnerships with international aviation and fuel companies;
- (c) the details of challenges faced in SAF production in the country said
- along with the measures being taken to address the challenges;
- (d) the details of research and development initiatives, collaborations or funding provided for the development of SAF in the country  including  the  support  provided  to  Indian  refineries  to produce SAF; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes to incentivize the development and production of SAF in the country to make it more competitive  with  conventional  aviation  fuel  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL  AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

- (a)  to  (e)  Sustainable  Aviation  Fuel  (SAF)  has  been  used  in  the following test flights: i. M/s  Vistara  operated  ferry  flight  of  B-787  from  USA  to  India using 28% of SAF blended fuel on 29th March 2023. ii. M/s Air Asia operated first commercial domestic flight (Pune to Delhi) with 0.75% SAF blended fuel on 19th May 2023. iii. M/s Spicejet flight operated with 25% SAF (Biofuel produced by Indian  Institute  of  Petroleum,  CSIR  lab)  blended  with  ATF  from Dehradun to Delhi in August, 2018. iv. All Airbus ferry flights fly on 5% SAF blended fuel from Toulouse to India ; Ministry  of  Petroleum  &  Natural  Gas  (MoPNG)  has  informed  that Public Sector Oil companies are engaged in setting up pilot/commercial scale facilities to produce SAF including standalone as well as co-processing plants. Production of SAF faces challenges such as high capital expenditure and operational expenditure, expensive feedstock, fragmented supply chains, absence  of  an  Indian  certification  agency  for  certification  and sustainability standards, absence of long term off-take agreements between  Airlines  companies  and  Oil  Marketing  Companies  for procurement of SAF, absence of policies support like tax benefits and  subsidies  for  SAF  production  etc.  However,  envisaged  SAF plants are expected to catalyze the development of ecosystem for domestic SAF production by establishing commercial projects and setting  benchmarks for  the  development  and  indigenisation  of  the technologies used for the commercial projects. The  PM  JI-VAN  Yojana,  launched  in  2019  and  amended  in  2024, allows  grant  of  financial  assistance  to  set  up  commercial  and demonstrative  advanced  biofuel  plants  including  SAF  plants.  The Government  has  approved  indicative  blending  targets  of  1%  by 2027,  2%  by  2028,  and  5%  by  2030  for  SAF  in  ATF,  initially  for

international flights.

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