Aviation contributes about 2-2.5 per cent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide. As for India, the country is a leading importer of edible oil. Now here lies an opportunity. Probably this could be reason enough for the country to work towards becoming a hub for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Agri residues-feedstock, municipal solid wastes, renewable biomass and algae could all be used for making SAF. Such residues could be treated and channelled for clearing up the skies.

This point was made at the recent Airbus India TAKE OFF 2022. “We focus on sustainable aerospace for safe travel. Around 63 per cent of our fleet is fuel-efficient. Before 2030, our goal is to launch certified commercial aircraft that run on sustainable fuel. By 2035, we want to take aircraft on service. Batteries and green hydrogen are other opportunities that could be explored,” said Siddharth Balachandran, head of innovation and scale, Airbus India and South Asia.

Airbus,...