Jakarta – Pelita Air made history in Indonesian commercial aviation by flying from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Denpasar using a mixture of jet fuel. It used cooking oil, or Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) produced by Pertamina, on Wednesday, August 20.
Pertamina President Director Simon Aloysius Mantiri explained that this environmentally friendly fuel is produced through a process of co-processing used cooking oil (UCO) at the Pertamina RU IV Cilacap refinery.
“Pertamina SAF has met the international standards ASTM D1655 and DefStan 91-091, and has obtained full certification for use in commercial aviation,” he said.
In this initial trial, Pelita Air used a mixture of 2.5 per cent used cooking oil and conventional jet fuel. Pertamina SAF has also obtained Proof of Sustainability from ISCC CORSIA, proving that its supply chain complies with international sustainability standards.
Pertamina’s SAF production is supported by Merah Putih Catalyst technology, the result of domestic innovation. This success makes Pertamina the first SAF producer in Indonesia and Southeast Asia to obtain official certification.
“This achievement shows that Indonesia is not only capable of developing biodiesel, but also ready to become a major player in the global biofuel market,” Simon added.
Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dadan Kusdiana, emphasised that biofuel is one of the government’s energy downstreaming priorities. “Indonesia has become the world’s biodiesel king. With an abundance of used cooking oil raw materials, we have a great opportunity to become an international SAF supply centre,” he said.
Similar support was expressed by Odo RM Manuhutu, Deputy for Connectivity Coordination at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development. He encouraged Indonesia to take the initiative in forming an ASEAN-level SAF cooperation framework, with Pertamina as the leading player.
“If production is expanded, Indonesia could become the price setter for SAF in the region. This is important so that we are not just a market, but also a leader in ASEAN,” he said. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: Image generated by OpenAI’s DALL·E via ChatGPT (2025)
