In a major shift towards cleaner fuel options for the aviation sector, India on Wednesday granted legal recognition to synthetic and sustainable aviation fuel, allowing blending of alternative components into the fuel basket.The Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Amendment Order, 2026, of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas comes into force immediately.The amendment, issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and recently invoked amid the West Asia war, modifies the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, which has governed the marketing, distribution and supply of jet fuel across India for 25 years.The changes have implications for India’s aviation sector amid national commitments to cleaner aviation fuels and focus on self-reliance to beat supply uncertainties. The most consequential amendment relates to the ATF definition.The existing definition stands replaced with an expanded one which now reads — “aviation turbine fuel is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons conforming to IS 1571 specification or its blend with synthesised hydrocarbons as specified in IS 17081. The main addition is the explicit recognition of synthesised hydrocarbons — commonly referred to as Sustainable Aviation Fuel or SAF — as a legitimate and legally defined component of aviation turbine fuel in India.By incorporating a reference to IS 17081 — the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for synthetic aviation fuels — the government has formally brought blended and synthetic jet fuels within the regulatory ambit of the 2001 marketing order.The notification makes no mention of ethanol but the shift could support biofuel options, including those linked to ethanol.India has already mandated E20 fuel rollout despite resistance of consumers who have flagged harm to internal combustion engines due to blended options, a fear the government has dismissed. ATF amendments, however, don’t set blending targets for the aviation sector.Officials explain that SAF, produced from non-petroleum sources such as agricultural waste like stubble, municipal solid waste, algae and other biomass, has been identified globally as the single most important tool for reducing carbon emissions from commercial aviation.“By recognising SAF blends within the legal definition of ATF, the government has removed a significant regulatory ambiguity that could have otherwise complicated the procurement, marketing and supply chain management of SAF blends at Indian airports,” sources said.The changed definition provides a legal foundation for airlines and fuel marketing companies to blend, market and supply SAF-mixed jet fuel under the established regulatory framework without requiring fresh legislative action.This means fuel marketing companies Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum, primary suppliers of AFT at Indian airports, can now develop commercial frameworks for SAF blending and supply under the established legal structure.Also, the move will reduce fossil fuel dependence. India imports 87 per cent of this requirement.