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European aerospace major Airbus is open to partnering with Indian companies for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production as the company aims to support the green fuel ecosystem in India, Airbus fuel chief said Sustainable aviation and fuel efficiency, Julien Manhes. an interview.
“In Australia, we decided to co-invest with Qantas in a project to produce sustainable aviation fuel… We are looking for such partnerships in India. We want to work with the magic triangle of airlines, producers and the government. “We are looking at these types of MoUs in India,” Manhes said.
In 2022, Qantas and Airbus had created a $200 million fund to help the airline meet its goal of using at least 10% of SAF by 2030.
The two companies had then announced a joint investment of $1.3 million in a biofuels refinery, which would convert agricultural byproducts into SAF.
In India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is developing a strategy for SAF adoption by Indian airlines, with recommendations expected to be provided from 2027, Mint exclusively reported earlier this month citing minister Jyotiraditya Scindia .
India had previously considered mandating combined use of SAF by airlines from 2025, starting with 1% green fuel and increasing to 5% by 2030.
“In fact, this change indicates that there will be no local production of SAF in the short term, that is, in 2025, so it makes sense if you want to have the obligation to depend on local production. We welcome that India is defining a SAF policy, which could have a mandatory part, and we hope that it is not just the mandatory part, but there are other measures that will help the SAF ecosystem develop,” he said.
While the International Civil Aviation Organization supports various methods of producing green fuel, potential sources of SAF in India include cooking oil, municipal solid waste, agricultural residue, cane molasses, syrup and hydrogen technology. Airbus sees huge potential for Indian green jet fuel globally due to its cost advantage compared to foreign peers.
“When we look at projects in India, we can see some price difference coming from raw materials, labor and infrastructure. Foreign airlines will be happy to pay for SAF in India because it is likely to be cheaper than in Europe,” Manhes said.
The European aerospace major is working with regulators, industry bodies and other stakeholders to increase the permitted SAF blending limit to more than 50%, but reiterates that the current bottleneck for this industry is sustainable fuel production.
“We are working with fuel producers to raise the bar and reach 100%. You may need some modifications to the plane. But right now, that’s not a bottleneck; SAF availability,” he added.
In 2023, global SAF production doubled to 600 million liters, representing 3% of all renewable fuels, and is projected to triple in 2024 to 1,875 million liters. This increase would represent 0.53% of global aviation fuel needs and 6% of renewable fuel capacity.
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