JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has planned to oblige the use of bioavtur or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in aviation industry since 2026 or 2027. It will be started with the international flights.
Effendi Manurung, Head of Bioenergy Engineering and Environment Sub-division at the renewable energy and energy conservation directorate general of the ministry of energy and mineral resources (KESDM), said that basically the roadmap of bioavtur had been designed by the coordinating ministry of maritime and investment, ruling the SAF blending of 1% in 2027 and up to 5% in 2029.
Effendi said that KESDM opened an opportunity of advancing the implementation of SAF-1% for international flights in 2026. But it has not yet determined whether it will be implemented as mandatory at once or in stages. “Our superiors hope that it can be started in 2026. But it’s not yet certain whether it will be mandatory or not. We’re still in a process of finalizing the plan,” he said during the FGD on Life Cycle Assessment of Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Jakarta on Thursday (30/10/2025).
Effendi said that the SAF-1% implementation plan is designed by considering a number of issues, including supply and prices. He admitted that currently the price of bioavtur in the form of SAF-1% is more expensive than conventional avtur.
If it were obliged for all flights, both international and domestic, it would directly impact ticket prices paid by passengers. Furthermore, there is no policy yet regulating incentives for the use of bioavtur.
“There are no incentives yet, and to avoid a major issue [of ticket price increases], the international flights will be subjected first. This was the recommendation from the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment at the time,” he said.
It is based on the consideration that international flights have been now recovering from the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic as compared to domestic flights, which are still struggling.
In October 2023, the avtur product containing 2.4% refined bleached deodorized palm kernel oil (RBDPKO) successfully completed commercial flight tests on a Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft owned by PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (GIAA).
Previously, Sokhib Al Rohman, Director of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operations at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, revealed that several countries had begun implementing the use of SAF.
In addition to Singapore, the Netherlands will begin implementing a 1% SAF policy in 2026. Consequently, airlines landing in the Netherlands without SAF face a penalty of approximately 190 euros per passenger.
“So, if, by 2026 or 2027, our international airlines use the SAF to comply with the policy, flights to the Netherlands will not be subject to the penalty of 190 euros per passenger,” he said.
Regulation
Edi Wibowo, Bioenergy Director at the directorate general of renewable energy and energy conservation of KESDM, confirmed that the government is drafting a regulation on the implementation of bioavtur or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) program. “This bioavtur is an aviation fuel that is environmentally friendly and can reduce carbon emissions in aviation industry,” he said.
According to Edi, the development of SAF is a concrete step in implementing the roadmap on national energy transition toward Net Zero Emission in 2060.
“Currently, we’re in the process of devising a regulation on the plan to implement the SAF program in aviation industry, which is proposed to start in 2026 with initial implementation of 1.0% for international flights from Jakarta (CGK) and Denpasar (DPS).” Edi said in a press statement recently.
Edi said that besides the regulation, the government had also prepared a roadmap of SAF implementation that will be made in stages from 1.0% to 5.0% in 2035.
“Surely, the success of this implementation needs the solid support of all stakeholders, including government, private sector, energy industry, and the airlines,” he said. (*)
Bisnis.com, “Penerbangan Internasional Bakal Wajib Pakai Bioavtur (SAF) Mulai 2026, Domestik Kapan?”, 30 Oktober 2025, https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20251030/98/1924685/penerbangan-internasional-bakal-wajib-pakai-bioavtur-saf-mulai-2026-domestik-kapan
Katadata.co.id, “Pemerintah Susun Regulasi Implementasi Bioavtur atau SAF, Ditargetkan Mulai 2026”, 2025, https://katadata.co.id/berita/energi/68f1e5c99e642/pemerintah-susun-regulasi-implementasi-bioavtur-atau-saf-ditargetkan-mulai-2026
