SAF production: Air France-KLM to seek alliances in India

Air France-KLM plans to explore partnerships in India for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production to support its decarbonisation goals, while simultaneously expanding its weekly flight operations to keep pace with growing passenger demand.

A senior executive shared on Wednesday that the group, which presently runs up to 42 weekly flights across four Indian cities, achieved "double-digit revenue growth" in its business and premium class segments during the first half of this year.

During a media briefing in the national capital, Stefan Gumuseli, Air France-KLM General Manager for India & Middle East, announced that weekly flight frequencies will expand from 42 to 54 for the coming winter schedule. This winter period, spanning from the last Sunday of October through the final Saturday of March, will see Air France and KLM operate 27 flights each. The group currently services routes connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru with Paris and Amsterdam.


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Highlighting the critical role of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Zita Schellekens, KLM's Senior Vice President for Impact and Innovation, noted that India plays a pivotal part in global decarbonisation efforts. When asked by PTI if the group would co-invest in local SAF production facilities, Schellekens explained that while they are exploring potential investments alongside other partners, "we hardly do any direct investments." She added that SAF off-take agreements remain possible "provided the right demand is there."

When questioned if Air France-KLM would seek SAF production alliances within India, Schellekens confirmed "absolutely," noting that the airline actively pursues such opportunities.

India remains a key strategic market for the group as passenger demand rises. Marking 70 years of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flying between Delhi and Amsterdam, Laure Daynie, Country Manager for India for Air France-KLM, emphasized that India is a strategic market and the Delhi-Amsterdam route continues to be an essential connection.

In parallel developments, a study released Tuesday by Boeing and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) revealed that India shows a 52 percent overall readiness score in its transition toward SAF adoption. India has established progressive SAF blending targets of 1 percent by 2027, 2 percent by 2028, and 5 percent by 2030.

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According to the report, "Under a 5 per cent blending scenario in 2030, SAF demand covering both domestic and international aviation is projected at approximately 720 million litres (about 0.6 million tons per year), compared with an estimated production potential of 14-33 million tons per year."