India is moving beyond SAF blending mandates to build a complete value chain. The article highlights that scaling production requires more than refining capacity. Feedstock aggregation, collection infrastructure, logistics, certification, and airline offtake all need to work together. Without this coordinated ecosystem, SAF cannot scale effectively. The bioeconomic potential is significant. Agricultural residues and waste oils can create rural income streams, while reducing dependence on imported energy. Aviation emissions are hard to abate, and the article notes that non-CO2 effects push aviation's climate impact to 3.5% of global warming. India's NDC target of cutting carbon intensity by 47% by 2035 adds urgency. International collaboration, like Iceland's carbon capture expertise, could help. But the key takeaway is that policy must move from indicative to binding. A portfolio of feedstocks and conversion pathways, plus robust MRV for carbon accounting, will determine whether India's SAF ambition becomes reality.
