Photo: Vistara

Indian airline Vistara, a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, announced May 4 that it has become the first Indian airline to operate a commercial domestic flight on a wide-body aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

This historic feat was achieved on Vistara’s brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, flying from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai using a blend of 17 percent SAF with 83 percent conventional jet fuel.

On this flight, Vistara was able to reduce approximately 10,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.

This pioneering initiative is part of Vistara’s ongoing efforts to minimize its carbon footprint and support a sustainable future for the aviation industry.

Just recently, Vistara operated a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul international route using sustainable aviation fuel, a first for an Indian airline.

A blend of 30 percent SAF and 70 percent conventional jet fuel was used on a ferry flight between Charleston International Airport in South Carolina (U.S.) to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India, which resulted in the reduction of approximately 150,000 pounds of CO2 emissions over the fuel’s lifecycle.

“We have always been committed to driving sustainability and innovation in aviation and are delighted to carry out yet another industry-first initiative of operating a commercial flight on a wide-body using SAF,” said Vinod Kannan, CEO of Vistara. “We are thankful to our partners and the relevant authorities for their support.”

Vistara, along with other airline companies of the Tata group, has been working extensively towards reduction of carbon emissions through use of sustainable technologies.

Last year, they had signed an MOU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum to collaborate on the research, development and deployment of SAF.

Vistara is also working through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation to lower CO2 emissions for international flights and to curb the industry’s impact on climate change.