GREEN WINGS

FROM ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY JET FUEL TO PHASING OUT SINGLE-USE PLASTICS, TO CARBON MAPPING AIRPORT ASSETS, THE WORLD'S FASTEST-GROWING AVIATION MARKET IS FIRMLY ON THE FLIGHT PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY

- MANISH PANT & NIDHI SINGAL

These lines from the iconic British rock band Pink Floyd’s 1987 hit are emblematic of aviation. For, it’s trying and trying again that has enabled humankind to fulfil its dream to fly. And amid warnings of a changing climate, there is a growing aspiration to make flying sustainable. But since caring for the environment demands a massive overhaul of existing technologies as well as copious expenditure, it’s not going to be easy. So, when Air India’s low-cost subsidiary AirAsia India successfully operated the country’s first commercial flight on the Pune-Mumbai sectors using an indigenously produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend on the morning of May 19, the world’s fastest-growing aviation market achieved yet another milestone on its flight towards sustainability.

“SAF’s efficacy as an aviation fuel has already been proven across the world. Within the country, we have put in place some thoughts in terms of what that mix should be and we’re looking at blending 1 per cent of SAF by 2025, 2 per cent by 2028, and 5 per cent by 2030 in regular aviation turbine fuel (ATF),” Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, tells Business Today.

For the past several months, Scindia’s ministry has been coordinating with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on guidelines for promoting SAF by getting Indian carriers to use it with ATF. “By 2025, if we target blending 1 per cent SAF in jet fuel, India would require around 140 million litres of SAF per annum. More ambitiously, if we target for 5 per cent SAF blend, India requires around 700 million litres of SAF per annum,” says Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.