Petroleum Ministry amends ATF rules to allow blends with synthesised hydrocarbons

New Delhi: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has issued a fresh notification amending the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, redifing the meaning of ATF or jet fuel. The amendment, published in the Gazette of India on April 21, takes effect from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Follow The PSUWatch Channel on WhatsApp

ATF definition updated

Under the amended order, “aviation turbine fuel” now means “a complex mixture of hydrocarbons conforming to IS 1571 specification or its blend with synthesised hydrocarbons as specified in IS 17081.” The change formally brings blended ATF with synthesised hydrocarbons within the regulatory definition.

The notification replaces the earlier definition in clause 2 of the principal order and also drops the words “IBP Co. Limited” from the same clause.

Search-and-seizure provision updated

The amendment also revises clause 8 of the 2001 order. It now says that the provisions of section 103 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, relating to search and seizure, shall, as far as may be, apply to searches and seizures under the order.

Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN

Why it matters

Read closely, the notification is a technical and legal update to the ATF marketing framework rather than a standalone policy announcement. Its immediate effect is to align fuel definitions and enforcement provisions with current standards, including the use of synthesised hydrocarbon blends in aviation turbine fuel.

The notification was issued under section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and is titled the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Amendment Order, 2026.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)