1 hr ago
Akasa Air, BPCL Operate India’s First SAF-Blended Flight
Akasa Air flew a passenger flight from Mumbai to Goa using a small amount of sustainable aviation fuel.
The fuel contained 1% SAF mixed with regular aircraft fuel.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited supplied the blend.
The flight helped the companies study how the fuel performs during normal operations.
They also collected information about fuel handling and delivery.
India wants to reach a 5% SAF blend by 2030.
SAF could help reduce aviation emissions and improve energy security.
However, producing and collecting enough suitable materials remains difficult.
The companies say cooperation, supportive policies, and reliable supplies will be needed to use more SAF.
Akasa Air operated a Mumbai-to-Goa commercial flight using aviation turbine fuel blended with 1% SAF.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited supplied the sustainable aviation fuel blend for the flight.
The aircraft departed Mumbai at 1:05 p.m. and arrived in Goa at 2:30 p.m.
The flight collected operational and fuel-performance data to support future SAF expansion.
The trial supports India’s goal of a 5% mandatory SAF blend by 2030 and aviation’s net-zero target for 2050.
- Who
- Akasa Air and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited operated the flight, with Akasa Air CFO Ankur Goel and BPCL marketing director Subhankar Sen commenting on the initiative.
- What
- A commercial flight used conventional aviation turbine fuel blended with 1% sustainable aviation fuel.
- Where
- From Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to Manohar International Airport in Mopa, Goa.
- When
- The flight departed at 1:05 p.m. and landed at 2:30 p.m.; the article identifies it as the first operational milestone after a July 2026 memorandum of understanding.
- Why
- To collect operational and fuel-performance data, support future SAF expansion, and help develop supply chains, handling procedures, and regulatory frameworks.
SAF Expansion Benefits
SAF Scaling Challenges
Environmental and strategic value
SAF Expansion Benefits
Industry participants describe SAF as important for reducing emissions and strengthening India’s energy security, while the trial turns the partnership into a practical demonstration.
SAF Scaling Challenges
The flight used only a 1% blend, so the trial represents an incremental step rather than large-scale replacement of conventional fuel.
Supply and availability
SAF Expansion Benefits
BPCL said sustained efforts across the value chain have created a foundation for a viable SAF ecosystem.
SAF Scaling Challenges
Industry experts and BPCL identified fragmented supply chains, feedstock availability, and feedstock aggregation as continuing obstacles to expansion.
Conditions for wider adoption
SAF Expansion Benefits
Akasa Air said domestic supply, enabling policy, coordinated action, and commercial viability can support SAF scaling.
SAF Scaling Challenges
The companies still need to refine supply chains, fuel-handling procedures, regulatory frameworks, and distribution across major Indian hubs.
Key facts
- Airline
- Akasa Air
- Fuel supplier
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
- SAF blend
- 1% SAF mixed with conventional aviation turbine fuel
- Route
- Mumbai to Goa
- Departure and arrival
- 1:05 p.m. from Mumbai; 2:30 p.m. at Goa’s Manohar International Airport
- India’s 2030 target
- A 5% mandatory SAF blend
- Global aviation target
- Net-zero carbon emissions across commercial aviation by 2050, according to the article’s reference to IATA
- Purpose of trial
- To gather operational data and support SAF supply-chain and regulatory development
Quotes
Subhankar Sen
Director of marketing at BPCL
“The transition from conventional fuels to sustainable alternatives is both an environmental imperative and a strategic necessity for India. While feedstock availability and aggregation have historically posed challenges due to fragmented supply chains, sustained efforts across the value chain have helped create the foundation for a viable SAF ecosystem,”
freepressjournal.in
“Sustainability is one of Akasa Air's core values and shapes how we are building the airline for the long term. This flight with BPCL translates our partnership into tangible action. Scaling SAF in India will require coordinated action across the ecosystem, supported by domestic supply, enabling policy and commercial viability,”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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