NEW DELHI — Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday chaired a crucial high-level review meeting with key industry stakeholders and government ministries to assess India's overall preparedness for the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The meeting focused on measuring progress in local SAF production, technical certification, and building robust supply chain infrastructure across the country. Additionally, officials evaluated India's strategic roadmap to align with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)—a global carbon-reduction framework established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Addressing the meeting, Minister Naidu revealed that India’s National Draft SAF Policy is currently in its final stages. He highlighted that extensive inter-ministerial consultations and multi-level stakeholder engagements are actively underway to finalize the regulatory ecosystem.
"We have to ensure that this process imposes the least possible burden on passengers and airlines," Naidu stated. "For that, we need to study all possible SAF pathways and, within those pathways, identify the most cost-effective mechanism right from production to drop-in at the airport."
The minister instructed all concerned bodies to accelerate designated action plans to guarantee that India achieves full operational readiness well before CORSIA's mandatory compliance phase comes into effect on January 1, 2027.
The meeting saw wide participation from top officials across key ministries, including Civil Aviation, Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Representatives from regulatory bodies and industry stakeholders—such as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), oil marketing companies, commercial airlines, and airport operators—were also present.
