Indonesia Targets 1% SAF Mandate from 2027: International Flights at Soekarno-Hatta and Ngurah Rai Only

Jakarta — With biodiesel on the road now at B50, biofuels are preparing to move into the air. The government has set a phased obligation for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF, locally "bioavtur") of 1% from 2027 (stated in ESDM Ministerial Decree (Kepmen) No. 113.K/EK.05/MEM.E/2026), starting with international flights at two airports: Soekarno-Hatta (Tangerang) and I Gusti Ngurah Rai (Bali).

The 2027 target was raised again by Wenny Ipmawan, SVP Business Sustainability at Pertamina, in Jakarta on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, as Pertamina announced a SAF contract with Cathay Pacific (in Indonesian). Implementation details were set out earlier by the Ministry of Transportation in July.

International flights only, two airports

"This will only apply to international flights and we are focusing only on those two airports," said Sokhib Al Rokhman, Director of Aircraft Airworthiness and Operations at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transportation, as reported by KabarPenumpang (13 July 2026). The rollout is phased to ensure safety and compliance, and the government will conduct a full evaluation before raising the blending rate.

• Technical readiness. A 1% SAF blend is a drop-in fuel and requires no engine modification. Pelita Air ran a six-month commercial trial on the Jakarta–Denpasar round-trip route with an Airbus A320 from August to December 2025, supported by ground engine tests at GMF AeroAsia with normal results.
• Supply. Timing depends on the readiness of bioavtur supply from Pertamina, which is currently produced through co-processing at refineries.
• Long term. The government targets a bioavtur blend of 30–50% by 2060.

A target that keeps shifting

A bioavtur mandate has long been under discussion. In February 2025, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) proposed a 3% mandate from 2026, which was then still a draft. By late 2025, the plan in circulation was 1% for international flights from 2026. Several media outlets later reported that ESDM Ministerial Decree (Kepmen) No. 113.K/EK.05/MEM.E/2026 on the phasing of biofuel use had been issued and set a 1% bioavtur obligation from 2027 (reported as 1% in 2027–2028 and 5% in 2029–2030), with initial implementation at Soekarno-Hatta and I Gusti Ngurah Rai airports. The government is also said to be revising ESDM Ministerial Regulation (Permen) No. 32 of 2018 as the legal basis. Media Biodiesel has not obtained an official copy of the decree, so the year-by-year phasing details remain to be confirmed. The obligation is not yet in effect: 1% SAF applies only from 2027 and, according to Pertamina, the timing depends on supply readiness.

Open questions

• Price. SAF remains more expensive than conventional jet fuel, and there is no dedicated incentive policy for bioavtur, unlike biodiesel, which is supported by BPDP funds.
• Domestic flights. The timetable for domestic routes has not been set.
• Feedstock. Pertamina relies on used cooking oil and refined palm kernel oil, while proposals have emerged to include palm-waste-based SAF in the mandate.

In the region, Singapore is also targeting 1% SAF from 2027 and has prepared a dedicated SAF levy (in Indonesian) to fund it, showing that the question of who bears the cost will be key to the success of Indonesia's bioavtur mandate.