IAF's An-32 transport aircraft certified to operate on indigenous bio-jet fuel

Indian Air Force's (IAF) An-32 transport aircraft has been formally fleet certified to fly on blended aviation fuel containing up to 10 per cent of indigenous bio-jet fuel, IAF announced on Friday.

"The approval certificate was received at the aero-engine test facilities at Chandigarh by Air Commodore Sanjiv Ghuratia, Air Officer Commanding, 3 BRD on behalf of the IAF from P Jayapal, Chief Executive, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC)," Air Force said in a statement.

IAF has undertaken a series of evaluation tests and trials with this green aviation fuel for the last one year.

"The scope of these checks was in consonance with the international aviation standards. The approval is an acknowledgement of the meticulous testing using the indigenous bio-jet fuel by the IAF," a defence ministry release said.

The indigenous bio-jet fuel was first produced by the CSIR-IIP lab at Dehradun in 2013 but could not be tested or certified for commercial use on aircraft due to lack of test facilities in the civil aviation sector.

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had formally announced in July last year about the IAF's intention to permit the use of all its resources for testing and certifying the indigenous fuel. Since then, IAF's flight test crew and engineers have been evaluating the performance of this fuel against international standards.

This is a huge step in promoting the 'Make in India' mission as this bio-fuel would be produced from Tree Borne Oils (TBOs) sourced from tribal areas and farmers, augmenting their income substantially, the ministry claimed in its statement.