IndiGo SAF aircraft fares won’t be higher: CEO Ronojoy Dutta

IndiGo has taken delivery of its first aircraft operating on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Airbus. This is the first international flight operated by any Indian carrier using SAF. The aircraft departed at 21:50 hrs UTC on February, 17, 2022 from France and arrived on Friday, February 18, 2022 at the Delhi airport. 

"We have integrated a sustainability task force with an actual plan in place," said Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo to Business Today. 

Sustainable Aviation Fuel is currently produced through livestock waste, or crops, and blended with Ethanol selectively for use. The use of SAF can reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 per cent as per certain estimates. 

Currently SAF can cost up to 10X as much as normal aviation fuel. "A lot of investment is needed in SAF. Though the investments for SAF flights are 3X more expensive, airfares will not be impacted." added Dutta. 

Recently, IndiGo published its first ESG Report IndiGoGreen, to share the company's outlook towards good governance and an overview of the environmental and social performance. In a release last week, it said "IndiGo is determined to be a leading airline in the world, focussed on enhancing sustainability." 

Also read: ‘Ready to go green’, says IndiGo as its first-ever SAF aircraft takes off