DGCA likely to mandate carbon emissions reporting for international flights
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is set to mandate that Indian and foreign carriers operating international flights report data covering a minimum of 90% of their annual carbon emissions from operations at Indian international airports
The move is intended to ensure a level playing field among operators ahead of the mandatory compliance phase of the global aviation carbon scheme beginning January 2027
India has committed to a phased Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blending schedule in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for international flights: 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030
Refineries at Panipat and Mumbai are reported to be in advanced stages of readiness for SAF production, with the government seeking greater private-sector participation and developing a national SAF registry
CORSIA — Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation
CORSIA is the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) global market-based measure to stabilise net CO2 emissions from international aviation at 2019-2020 baseline levels, requiring airlines to offset emissions growth beyond that baseline through the purchase of eligible carbon credits.
Key Details
- Adopted by the ICAO Assembly in 2016, implemented in three phases: a Pilot Phase (2021-2023) and First Phase (2024-2026), both voluntary for states, and a Second Phase (2027-2035), which is mandatory for all ICAO member states above defined thresholds, including India, China, Russia, and Brazil
- Applies specifically to international flights (not domestic aviation), distinguishing it from national emissions trading schemes such as the EU Emissions Trading System, which separately covers intra-EU flights
- Airlines must monitor, report, and verify (MRV) their emissions and offset the portion exceeding the baseline using CORSIA-eligible emission units
- India is a signatory to the ICAO Assembly Resolution establishing CORSIA and is preparing regulatory and monitoring infrastructure ahead of entering the mandatory phase on 1 January 2027
The DGCA's proposed 90%-coverage emissions reporting mandate is the domestic MRV (monitoring, reporting, verification) infrastructure needed to comply with CORSIA's mandatory phase, since airlines cannot offset what has not first been accurately measured and reported.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and India's Blending Roadmap
SAF is a low-carbon substitute for conventional jet fuel, produced from feedstocks such as used cooking oil, agricultural residue, or municipal waste, capable of being blended with or substituting fossil ATF without requiring aircraft or engine modification.
Key Details
- SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel, depending on the feedstock and production pathway used
- India's committed blending trajectory under its draft SAF policy: 1% SAF blending in ATF for international flights by 2027, rising to 2% by 2028 and 5% by 2030, aligned with CORSIA's mandatory compliance timeline
- Domestic production capacity is being developed at public-sector refineries, including Panipat and Mumbai, alongside efforts to expand private-sector feedstock and manufacturing participation
- A national SAF registry is under development to track production, certification, and blending compliance, mirroring the certification and accounting frameworks required under ICAO's CORSIA Eligible Fuels (CEF) criteria
The emissions-reporting mandate and the SAF blending roadmap are two halves of the same compliance architecture — one measures emissions, the other reduces them at source — both aimed at meeting India's CORSIA obligations from 2027.
Aviation's Role in India's Climate Commitments
International aviation emissions are excluded from countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and are instead governed separately through ICAO/CORSIA, making this DGCA mandate part of a distinct, sector-specific global climate governance track rather than India's domestic NDC framework.
Key Details
- Domestic (within-India) flight emissions fall under India's general climate commitments and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's oversight, whereas international flight emissions are addressed exclusively through ICAO's CORSIA mechanism
- India's updated NDC (2022) targets a 45% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and 50% cumulative electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030; aviation-specific targets sit outside this NDC accounting framework
- The DGCA operates under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is India's primary civil aviation safety and regulatory body, while environmental coordination for CORSIA compliance involves the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (for SAF/ATF supply) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
This distinction is a common source of confusion in current-affairs analysis — the DGCA mandate addresses India's obligations under a sector-specific UN specialised agency framework (ICAO), not India's overall Paris Agreement NDC targets.
- CORSIA adopted by ICAO Assembly: 2016; mandatory Second Phase begins: 1 January 2027
- Proposed DGCA emissions-reporting threshold: minimum 90% of annual carbon emissions from international airport operations, applicable to Indian and foreign carriers
- India's SAF blending targets: 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028, 5% by 2030 (in ATF for international flights)
- SAF can cut lifecycle emissions by up to ~80% versus conventional jet fuel, depending on feedstock
- Refineries cited as SAF-ready: Panipat and Mumbai
- India's NDC (2022) targets: 45% emissions-intensity reduction by 2030 (from 2005 levels); 50% non-fossil power capacity by 2030 — separate from aviation's CORSIA track