India’s civil aviation sector is once again moving towards change. The central government has given No Objection Certificate (NOC) to two new airlines — Al Hind Air and flyexpress — while UP-based Shankha Air is set to start flights from 2026. This step has come at a time when only 9 Scheduled Domestic Airlines are active in the country and the number further decreased due to stoppage of flights by fly big in October. Currently, IndiGo and Air India Group together control more than 90% of the domestic market, with IndiGo alone having a market share of more than 65%. Recent operational issues have shown the risks of over-dependence. The government is promoting new airlines. Small towns are connected to the UDAN scheme. Despite the challenges, the entry of new airlines is a positive signal for the aviation sector.

India has taken a big step in the aviation sector with Russia. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s public joint stock company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Moscow on Monday (27 October). Under this, Sukhoi Superjet SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft will be manufactured in India.

This twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft has a capacity of about 100 passengers and has a range of about 3000 kilometers. It has been specially designed for domestic flights. It is reported that till now more than 200 such aircraft have been built around the world and more than 16 airline operators are using them.

‘Make in India’ will get strength

According to experts, manufacturing of SJ-100 in India could prove to be a game-changer for the country’s regional air connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik). This will be of great help in connecting small cities and towns of the country with the air network. After this agreement, HAL has got exclusive rights to manufacture SJ-100 aircraft in India. This project will not only give new heights to India’s civil aviation sector but will also strengthen the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Employment opportunities will increase

Apart from this, this project is expected to give international recognition to India’s aviation manufacturing sector. This will not only be a technological achievement for HAL, but it will also give a new direction to India’s self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat). Thousands of employment opportunities will also be created in spare parts, maintenance and supply chain related to aircraft manufacturing.

After the already strong partnership with Russia in the defense sector, this cooperation in civil aviation will further deepen the relations between the two countries. The SJ-100 aircraft can completely transform the regional travel sector in India, especially in areas where air services are limited.

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IndiGo fined Rs 20 lakh: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on the country’s largest airline IndiGo for alleged lapses in pilot training. The company said that it is considering challenging this order before the appellate authority.

This action of DGCA has come at a time when serious flaws came to light in the investigation of Indigo’s training records. The investigation revealed that the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) training of nearly 1,700 pilots, including pilots-in-command and first officers, was not certified for high-risk airports — such as Calicut, Leh and Kathmandu.

What is the whole matter?

These airports have been placed in the “high-risk category” because the weather, runway conditions and geographical conditions here are extremely challenging. For this reason, DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on IndiGo and has asked the company to improve the training process.

Indigo said in its information given to the stock market on Wednesday that it received a notice regarding the fine from DGCA on September 26. According to the regulator, this penalty has been imposed for alleged failure to use suitable simulators for training of pilots at Category ‘C’ airports.

Category ‘C’ airports are those places where access and operating conditions are challenging. DGCA says that Indigo failed to follow the training standards set for these airports.

Action has already been taken

The company said there was a delay in making this information public due to delays in internal communication. However, the airline clarified that this order will not have any impact on its financial position, operations or other activities. IndiGo said that it is committed to adhering to the highest standards of safety in the operation of its aircraft.

This is not the first time that DGCA has imposed fine on IndiGo. Even in the year 2023, the regulator had imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the airline. At that time, a special audit had found many shortcomings in the operations, training and engineering departments of the company.

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Ahemdabad air india flight crash: In the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol said that in the last six months, a total of 9 cause notices have been issued to Air India due to 5 separate security violations. Action on a violation has been completed. A few seconds after flying from Ahmedabad Airport on 12 June 2025, the flight of Air India, going to London, crashed. The aircraft fell on a medical hostel building, killing 241 out of 242 passengers, as well as many people on the ground were killed.

AAIB gave preliminary report
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report of the accident on 12 July. The report said that soon after the takeoff, the fuel switches of both engines were closed. In the black box recording, a pilot asks the other-“Why did you cut?”, I got the answer-“I did not.”

No negative reports
The Minister of State said that the credibility report of the accident aircraft did not see any negative trend in the last six months. Despite this, the entire investigation of the accident is being done by AAIB under Rule 11.

Union aviation minister raging on Western media
Ram Mohan Naidu said that the coverage of Air India Crash may have vested interests of Western media. He further said that the government will wait for the final investigation report. Criticizing Western Media, he appreciated the Aaib to decode the black box and appealed to the world not to draw a hurry.

Naidu said that this is the first time that the country did not need to send the black box to another country, as its lab has been set up to analyze flight data and cockpit recording. He was referring to the new facility established for analysis of aircraft flight data and cockpit recording at AAIB headquarters in Delhi in April.