Mumbai | September 10, 2026
Akasa Air and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have completed the first reported commercial flight between Mumbai and Goa using a 1% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), marking an early operational step towards expanding lower-emission fuel use in Indian aviation.
The flight departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai at 1.05 p.m. on September 8 and landed at Manohar International Airport at Mopa, Goa, at 2.30 p.m., according to a report by Loksatta. The flight was operated using Akasa Air’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
The SAF operation followed a memorandum of understanding signed between Akasa Air and BPCL in July 2026. Under that agreement, the two companies are working to test SAF distribution at major Indian aviation hubs, expand its availability and develop a commercial framework for its use.
India has set a national target of achieving a 5% SAF blend in commercial aviation by 2030. The Mumbai-Goa flight used a 1% blend, making it an initial trial rather than a deployment at the national target level. The report did not specify the total quantity of SAF used, its production source or the emissions reduction achieved during the flight.
SAF is intended to reduce aviation’s dependence on conventional fossil-based jet fuel. Its wider adoption will require fuel availability at airports, compatible aircraft and engines, supply-chain coordination and a viable commercial framework. Akasa Air said its Boeing 737 MAX fleet is capable of operating with this type of environmentally oriented fuel.
The partnership’s next stated steps are to test SAF distribution across major centres, assess how its use can be expanded and establish the commercial arrangements needed for broader adoption. The report did not provide a timetable for additional flights or identify the airports included in the distribution trials.
