This amendment lays the foundation for building a complete SAF ecosystem in India from feedstock to production to end-use
The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has notified blending of synthesised hydrocarbon such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
SAF is produced from renewable feedstocks such as ethanol, agricultural residues, biomass, waste oils and municipal waste; it offers a powerful pathway to decarbonise aviation.
The ministry has amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, to allow the blending of ethanol in jet fuel.
In a notification on April 17, 2026, it said, “Aviation turbine fuel is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons conforming to IS 1571 specification or its blend with synthesised hydrocarbons.”
TruAlt Bioenergy Managing Director Vijay Nirani said, “At first glance, the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Amendment Order, 2026 may appear to be a technical update, but it marks a very important shift in India’s energy direction. By formally allowing ATF to be blended with synthesised hydrocarbons, the policy has created a clear pathway for SAF to become part of the mainstream aviation ecosystem.”
For the industry, this amendment provides much-needed regulatory clarity and confidence for long-term investments. It lays the foundation for building a complete SAF ecosystem in India from feedstock to production to end-use, he added.
Oil Ministry update
The Oil Ministry has also updated the legal procedures for enforcement and compliance.
“The provisions of section 103 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023), relating to search and seizure shall, as far as may be, apply to searches and seizures under this order,” the notification said.
This is expected to push the usage of SAF and will help in reducing crude oil imports, which account for more than 85 per cent of the requirement.
The government has already set a target of achieving 1 per cent SAF blending with jet fuel by 2027, 2 per cent by 2028 and 5 per cent by 2030.
E20 blending
According to All India Distillers Association (AIDA), India’s achievement of E20 blending has created a strong foundation for SAF development through the Ethanol-to-Jet (ETJ) pathway, leveraging the country’s extensive ethanol capacity, existing distillery infrastructure and farmer-linked supply chains.
Deloitte India in its October 2024 report on SAF said that India’s estimated surplus of 230 million tonnes (mt) of agricultural residue will be a crucial resource for producing SAF. This surplus will serve as a vital feedstock for ethanol (2G) production, a key component in the Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) technology pathway for SAF manufacturing.
At the same time, AtJ route with ethanol (1G) produced from sugar and grain can provide an initial boost until the technology fully matures. Municipal Solid Waste and used cooking oil will contribute to the overall potential. Alternate feedstock such as sweet sorghum, seaweed and industrial waste can give further impetus to SAF potential with technological maturity, it added.
Published on April 22, 2026
