Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday (October 21) announced that the government aims to develop aircraft design and manufacturing capabilities in India, collaborating with industry leaders.
The Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, passed by the Lok Sabha in August, includes provisions to regulate aircraft design and manufacturing, aligning with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
“We want to design and manufacture planes in India. We are taking help from HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) and NAL (National Aerospace Laboratories) and other industry partners we have,” Naidu stated.
“In the foreseeable future, we want to also have a situation where we manufacture planes not for domestic demand only but also for the demand of the entire world… we are going to move towards it,” the minister said.
India becoming key market for aviation manufacturers
Currently, HAL is producing small civilian planes on a limited scale. As India continues to be one of the fastest-growing aviation markets, with over 1,200 planes on order, the country is becoming a key market for manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus.
Naidu also mentioned that the government plans to establish a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to accelerate domestic commercial aircraft production.