Soon, fly in a 19-seater Made in India plane on regional routes

Flyers flying to smaller cities in the country may soon get the opportunity to fly in a Made in India Dornier 228 aircraft. The 19-seater aircraft, presently used by defence forces, is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Once operationalised for commercial use, HAL's Dornier 228 will become the first Made in India plane to be used for civilian flights.

According to a report in TOI, the DGCA has given certificate of airworthiness to HAL's Dornier 228. HAL can sell this plane to airlines in India and it can be used by them for regional flights under the Modi's government's ambitious UDAN scheme, the report said.

"Some special incentives may be given to operators using this plane. Apart from airlines in India, HAL may also look at selling this plane for civil use in neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Sri Lanka," the report quoted an official as saying.

HAL describes its Dornier 228 aircraft as a highly 'versatile multi-purpose light transport aircraft'. It has been developed specifically to meet the manifold requirements of utility and commuter transport, third level services and air-taxi operations, coast guard duties and maritime surveillance.

The plane, which has a wingspan of 16.97 metres, can be used for maritime surveillance, pollution prevention, troop transport, aerial survey, search and rescue, commuter transport, remote sensing applications, causality evacuation, cargo and logistics support.

Last week, GR Gopinath-led Air Deccan made a comeback into aviation by starting operations with flights between Mumbai and Nashik. Air Deccan is one of the five airlines who had bid for the government subsidies under the first phase of the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme in April this year.

Low-cost carrier Spicejet has already conducted test flights for seaplanes to enhance the regional connectivity. The budget airline is planning to put amphiboius aircrafts into operation within the next 12 months.

"Airports are in short supply in India. Lots of the growth in India is happening in small markets, but those small markets have little or no connectivity. The amphibian plane opens up a lot of areas, creates a lot of flexibility," SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh had told Bloomberg earlier in October.