According to a government announcement, India has allowed the blending of ethanol and other synthetic or man-made hydrocarbons in aviation turbine fuel (ATF), although it has not established any immediate obligatory blending targets.
The action comes after the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, expanding the definition of ATF to include blends containing synthetic hydrocarbons.
This is done in an effort to lower emissions and lessen dependency on oil imports. But as of yet, no obligatory blending goals have been established.Through a gazette notice, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) modified regulations pertaining to the marketing of ATF, expanding the fuel's definition and coordinating enforcement measures with revised criminal protocols.
The change allows for the incorporation of more recent fuel variations by defining ATF as a mixture of hydrocarbons meeting IS 1571 parameters or blends with synthetic hydrocarbons following IS 17081 norms.
Crude oil refining is the main process used to generate ATF. In order to reduce emissions, nations like the UK and Japan are increasingly requiring the blending of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is made by converting renewable feedstocks like waste oils and fats, sugar and cereal, municipal solid waste, wood and agricultural residues, or CO2 in ATF.Another name for SAF is synthetic or man-made hydrocarbons.
According to the CORSIA requirement, India aims to incorporate 1% SAF into jet fuel for international flights by 2027, increasing to 2% by 2028 and 5% by 2030.
There are currently no goals regarding the amount of fuel utilised on domestic flights.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is in charge of the required Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which requires airlines to offset CO2 emissions from international flights that above 2020 limits. In an effort to achieve carbon-neutral growth, it is optional from 2021 to 2026 but required for the majority of states from 2027 to 2035.

Additionally, the ministry's notification replaces previous references and updates enforcement measures to apply search and seizure procedures under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
After it is published in the Official Gazette, the amendment, known as the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Amendment Order, 2026, becomes operative.