Made-in-India Dornier 228 comes full circle with Northeast commercial ops launch

When Alliance Air launches services in the Northeastern region with two Dornier 228s on Tuesday, it would be flight coming a full circle for the 19-seater aircraft. Currently manufactured by the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in India, the German flying machine was first deployed by the long-defunct regional airline Vayudoot to service over 100 airports across India till the early 1990s.

This is also the first time that the civilian version of the aircraft is made entirely in the country.

More than a decade before the country scrapped the Air Corporation Acts, 1953, to pave way for a multitude of private carriers through the Open Skies Policy, Vayudoot – named after ancient Sanskrit dramatist Kalidasa’s magnum opus – took wings on January 26, 1981, to especially bring the unconnected towns in the Northeast on India’s air map.

Of the total 21 aircraft fleet of what was then often called the world’s fastest-growing airline, ten were Do-228s, which were first deployed in the airline’s fleet in 1985. In all print advertisements and hoardings of the airline, the Vayudoot brand was represented by Do-228.

Mounting losses owing to poor load factors and poor perception of its overall safety record led to the airline being merged into Indian Airlines in 1993.

The Do-228 is a twin-engine high winged turboprop with an unpressurised cabin and, depending on the configuration, capable of seating up to 19 passengers. Though a frequent flier may not find it as comfortable as a jet plane, the fact that the aircraft is capable of take-offs and landings from both paved and unpaved runways adds to its versatility.

In 1981, HAL acquired the production license for the aircraft from the manufacturers and assembled 125 of them at its Kanpur facility for both civilian and military purposes. Since 2009, Swiss aerospace engineering and defence company RUAG has been manufacturing the upgraded Do-228 New Generation (NG), with the fuselage, wings and tail being sourced from HAL.

HAL has said that Do-228 has been developed specifically to meet the various requirements of utility and commuter transport, third level services and air taxi operations and maritime surveillance. It is also utilised as a multi-purpose light transport aircraft. For instance, in the mid-1980s, Vayudoot used to operate a night airmail service with the aircraft.

This first made-in-India HAL Do-228 for civil operations will operate the flight from Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh under the central government’s flagship Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik, or everyone can fly, regional connectivity scheme.

In what is seen as a huge boost for regional connectivity, various Indian carriers have launched flights on over 400 regional routes, connecting 66 airports in the current summer schedule.

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