The Civil Aviation Ministry has granted permission to an Indian made aircraft named ‘Dornier 228’ to be sold to commercial airlines for using it to fly commercially, for common people. This is a huge leap for Indian civil aviation and it will take the ‘Make in India’ dream to a whole new level.
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Dornier 228 is a 19-seater mini aircraft, manufactured in India by a company named Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and is currently used by defence forces to conduct coast guard duties, third level services, maritime surveillance. Apart from that, these 16.97 metres versatile aircrafts can be used for pollution prevention, troop transport, aerial survey, search and rescue, commuter transport, remote sensing applications, causality evacuation, cargo and logistics support. In a recent major civil aviation development, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted permission for HAL’s Dornier 228 to be used for civil aviation purposes – it is one of its kind permission, ever.
So the mini aircrafts that were used only by defence forces, will soon be used for civilian commercial flights and HAL will also be able to sell Dornier 228 to commercial airlines in India. Apart from Indian airlines, HAL will also be allowed to commercially sell these 19-seater planes to neighbouring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka, hence expanding the reachability of India technology and India made products – which will contribute in generating a considerable foreign capital gain for Indian companies.
The plane is that these made in India flights will be used for regional connectivity and hence they will cover up regions and airports that are mostly disconnected or under-connected with other parts of the country. Hence, back boning the PM Modi’s recently launched scheme for regional connectivity called UDAN. It will also give Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative a major booster since Dornier 228s are made in India, by an Indian company. Also, since these planes are developed keeping manifold requirements of utility and commuter transportation in mind, they can be used for multiple purposes. About the commercial usage, Indian budget airlines are planning to put amphibious aircrafts into operation within the next 12 months.
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