The Civil Aviation Minister, K Rammohan Naidu, announced that the government would establish a special purpose vehicle to push ahead with plans to begin manufacturing commercial aircraft in India on Wednesday as he emphasised the potential of the nation’s rapidly expanding aviation sector. “The idea of India manufacturing its own planes is being strongly pushed by the government,” Naidu stated, adding that a special purpose vehicle will be set up with industry stakeholders and others.
Prior to this, in August the Lok Sabha approved the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, which supports the Aatmanirbhar Bharat project for self-reliance by regulating aircraft design and manufacture. The Bill aims to replace the Aircraft Act, 1934, which has undergone 21 amendments, and eliminate redundant provisions at a time when India’s civil aviation business is among the fastest-growing globally.
Naidu said that the efforts are being made to make sure that manufacturing of aircraft can be initiated in the next five years. “We want to be a big player for manufacturing planes and also export them,” he added.
For Boeing and Airbus, two major aircraft manufacturers, India is a key market. Smaller-scale production of small civilian aircraft is already being done by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Meanwhile, India’s civil aviation market is also experiencing rapid growth globally.
Speaking at a conference hosted by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Naidu said that the nation has a lot of potential for MRO (maintenance, overhaul, and repair) activities. The minister stated that the goal is to turn India into a centre for aviation, air freight and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, noting that the industry is at a “transformative crossroads”.
(with PTI inputs)