India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, to permit the blending of ethanol and synthetic hydrocarbons into aviation turbine fuel. The amendment, gazetted as the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Amendment Order, 2026, broadens the definition of ATF to include blends conforming to IS 1571 specifications or synthetic hydrocarbon blends under IS 17081 standards. Enforcement provisions have been updated to align with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The move is framed as a step towards reducing carbon emissions and decreasing India’s dependence on imported crude oil. However, no mandatory blending targets have been established for fuel used on domestic routes. For international aviation, India has set a target of 1% SAF blending by 2027, increasing to 2% by 2028 and 5% by 2030, consistent with its obligations under ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

CORSIA, which transitions from a voluntary to a mandatory framework for most states between 2027 and 2035, requires airlines to offset CO2 emissions from international flights exceeding 2020 levels. Comparable SAF mandates are already in force in the United Kingdom and Japan, where blending requirements are being progressively scaled up.
As one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, India’s regulatory enablement of SAF blending — even without immediate domestic targets — marks an important inflection point for airlines, fuel suppliers and airport operators planning for the long-term decarbonisation of Indian aviation.