Government will build regional transport aircraft, SPV will be set up, know what else the minister said

The Government of India is preparing to manufacture regional transport aircraft in the country. For this, the government is in the process of setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). Civil and Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu gave this information on Monday. According to PTI news, Naidu said that the necessary policies for manufacturing aircraft and its components are present in India. The Civil Aviation Minister said that we have changed our thinking while talking about manufacturing aircraft. We are saying that India is now at a stage where we can manufacture the aircraft, we can design and we can maintain it.

Orders for over 1,500 aircraft

Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the Union minister highlighted the steps taken by the government to promote aircraft component manufacturing and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) activities. India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world and domestic airlines have placed orders for over 1,500 aircraft, expanding their fleets to meet the growing air traffic demand.

The idea is to build the aircraft in five years

Elaborating on the strategy ahead, the minister said the government has adopted a holistic approach and is in the process of setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for regional transport aircraft manufacturing. He said we have a plan to create an SPV for five years, which will involve all the necessary stakeholders. It will study the current picture in the country and make a road map. He said the idea is to build the aircraft in five years.

Focus is on creating an ecosystem

Emphasizing on skill development, Naidu mentioned that there are 58 functioning FTOs (Flying Training Organizations) and focus is being laid on creating an ecosystem for manufacturing aircraft components. In a written reply, Naidu said that the development of indigenous 19-seater light transport aircraft Saras MK2 is in progress at CSIR-NAL. He said that there is collaboration and partnership with HAL in the Saras MK2 initiative. The aircraft has critical indigenous components and technologies such as advanced composite wing, airframe made of composite and light weight materials, avionics, display and communication systems. Further, the minister said that production and manufacturing activities of aircraft with indigenous content are envisaged to promote indigenous civil aircraft component manufacturing in the country.