Becoming the first company in the country, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has launched indigenous production of AVGAS 100 LL. It is a special aviation fuel meant for piston engine aircrafts and unmanned ariel vehicles. The fuel will be used for aircraft operated by Flying Training Organisations and the defence forces to train pilots. At present, India imports this product from European countries.
But now, in a big step towards reducing dependence on imports to meet energy needs the government-run IOC launched a special aviation fuel for small aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). The fuel was launched by Oil Minister H. S. Puri and Minister of State for Civil Aviation, General V K Singh (Retd.).
The Oil Minister said the launch of indigenous AV GAS 100 LL is important to serve the needs of the aviation industry, with increased footfall in airports, a rise in the number of aircraft, and FTOs in trainee aircraft for pilot training.
As the demand for air transport is expected to increase manifold in the future, there will be a huge demand for trained pilots also. The number of FTOs is expected to increase significantly, he added.