First commercial flight in India powered by SAF

India’s first commercial passenger flight was flown using a blend of indigenously produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on May 19.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) in partnership with Praj supplied a blend of SAF to AirAsia India flight i5-767, which took off from Pune bound for New Delhi.

Together with Gevo, Praj Industries has developed an innovative alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology for the production of SAF using bio-based feedstock, which was used in achieving this significant milestone.

Praj produced SAF samples in its R&D facility, Praj Matrix, which underwent detailed testing at IOCL laboratories before it was blended for the special flight. SAF from Praj-Gevo Integrated Offerings’ is an alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) pathway-derived synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) that can be blended up-to 50% with aviation turbine fuel/petro-jet.

Praj Industries has done considerable process optimisation and integration while adapting Gevo’s technology to make SAF from Indian feedstock and developed a reliable process.

This robust procedure can utilise a wide variety of complex and variable carbohydrate feedstocks, including sugars, starches and cellulosic biomass.

The aviation industry plays a significant role in global transportation and economic development, but it also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Globally, the civil aviation industry consumes around 250 million tons of fossil-based (conventional) ATF, generating approximately 1 billion tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, accounting for around 2-3% of total emissions or around 10 to 12% of transportation emissions.

To address this challenge, SAF has emerged as a promising solution to reduce carbon emissions and foster a more sustainable future for air travel. India plans to mandate the use of 1% of SAF for domestic airlines by 2025.

With this mandate, India will need approximately 14 billion litres of SAF per year. India has feedstock for potential production of 19 to 24 million tons of SAF per year.

Based on its enormous feedstock availability, access to fast-growing technologies, and indigenous technology development, India has the potential to become an international hub for SAF supply. With the right legislation, environment, and infrastructure, India has the ability to meet domestic and international SAF demand.