India has the opportunity to become a net exporter of sustainable aviation fuel as efforts continue to decarbonise aviation globally, a top Boeing executive said on Thursday and highlighted the ample availability of feedstock, including agricultural waste, for producing the fuel.
Aviation accounts for around 2-3 per cent of the global carbon emissions, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) can help in reducing these emissions.
At industry body CII’s Annual Business Summit 2025 in the national capital, Boeing India and South Asia President Salil Gupte also said that 2,500 civil aircraft will be coming into India over the next 20 years.
India is one of the world’s fastest growing civil aviation markets and Indian airlines have placed orders for more than 1,000 aeroplanes over the past few years.
While mentioning that the country will have a newer and younger aircraft fleet in the coming years that will also help in decarbonisation, Gupte also said it can be looked at how India can play a role in industrialisation of biofuels for aviation.
The barrier for SAF is not going to be aeroplane technology or engineering technology but the supply factor and how the fuel can be made more economical, he noted.
Currently, SAF costs 2.5 to 3.5 times more than Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).
If the world is to reach the net zero goal for aviation by 2050, it needs to have 185 million tonnes of SAF per year. India’s feedstock, whether it is used cooking oil, agricultural waste or the like, will be able to make 8-10 million tonnes of SAF per year.
“This means that India can actually provide over 5 per cent of the world’s SAF requirements… India can be an exporter of SAF. This creates an opportunity. This means India can help decarbonise the civil aviation industry,” Gupte said and added that turning agricultural waste into SAF will be a tremendous opportunity.
Boeing, a leading aircraft maker, has a significant presence in India.
