India, Feb. 3 -- In early December 2025, state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) obtained the country's first certification to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Panipat refinery. IOC last August announced that it would annually produce 35,000 tonnes of SAF, a group of liquid hydrocarbon fuels that can substitute conventional fuel in aviation. SAF may contribute 65 per cent of the emissions reduction needed by aviation to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, as per the International Air Transport Association.

IOC's certification is one of the first steps towards India's ambitious targets to reduce aviation emissions. In 2023, India committed for 1 per cent SAF blending in international flights by 2027, followed b...