NEW DELHI, Dec 24: The civil aviation ministry has granted initial clearance to two airlines to begin operations, weeks after mass cancellations by the country’s largest airline IndiGo brought into focus the lack of competition in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market.
The ministry granted a “no-objection certificate” to regional airline Al Hind Air and Fly Express this week, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a post on X. “Over the last one week, pleased to have met teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skies — Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress. While Shankh Air has already got the NOC from the Ministry, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress have received their NOCs this week,” Mr Naidu said. He added that the government is working to encourage more competition in the domestic market.
The risks associated with IndiGo’s dominance were highlighted earlier this month when about 4,500 flights were cancelled due to poor staff planning. The abrupt cancellation led to thousands of passengers being stranded at airports across India, with many analysts calling the government to incentivise more companies to operate.
IndiGo has a market share of about 65%, followed by rival Air India Group with about 27%. Smaller carriers make up for the rest. According to its website, Al Hind aims to begin operations in southern India with a fleet of ATR Turboprop aircraft. It is in the process of obtaining an Air Operator Certificate. A banner on Fly Express website also said “coming soon.”
In 2026, apart from these two carriers, Uttar Pradesh-based Shankh Air, which already has a No Objection Certificate (NOC), is likely to start operations. Al Hind Air is being promoted by Kerala-based alhind Group.
India has granted permits to six air operators since 2020 to begin operations, including some regional carriers, the government told lawmakers in July.
Apart from Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and State-owned Alliance Air, other scheduled carriers are Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, Fly91 and IndiaOne Air, as per latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
(Manas Dasgupta)