Vistara, India’s leading full-service airline and a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, made history by becoming the first Indian carrier to operate a wide-body aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a long-haul route. The groundbreaking ferry flight was from Charleston International Airport, South Carolina to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, on Vistara’s newest GEnx-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, the fourth in its fleet. By using a blend of 30% SAF with 70% conventional jet fuel, Vistara was able to reduce approximately 150,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions over the fuel’s life cycle.
Vistara has always been dedicated to sustainable practices and is a member of the TATA Aviation Sustainability Working Group, along with other aviation arms of the TATA group, to reduce carbon emissions. The airline, along with other airline companies of the Tata group – Air India and Air Asia India, recently signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Indian Institute of Petroleum to collaborate on the research, development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).