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Tiruppur: Homegrown Sakthi Aircraft Industry Private Limited (SAIPL) will start the delivery of single-engine four-seater trainer aircraft by mid-2026, becoming the first Indian private player to venture into this sector.
SAIPL, a part of the diversified Sakthi Group of Companies, is investing Rs 750 crore to build a massive assembly facility on the outskirts of Tiruppur.
The company has entered into an agreement with Austria’s Diamond Aircraft Industries to produce DA-40 NG single-engine, four-seater trainers, a development that is expected to reduce India’s dependence on foreign countries for trainer aircraft.
The Coimbatore-based Sakthi Group ventured into the sector amid a huge demand for pilots in the country, with the Indian airline industry growing at a rapid pace.
“Production will start by the end of January, and we will kick-off the CAR 21 certification from DGCA. We expect the certification to be completed by March and plan to deliver aircraft to customers from mid-2026,” SAIPL Director Govindh Rajkumar told DH.
The CAR 21 certification process involves the DGCA observing and assessing full-scale production of the aircraft.
Rajkumar said the company plans to assemble one aircraft a week, scaling to four per week at full capacity and 100 aircraft every year. The capacity will be enhanced further, if needed, he added.
The aircraft will be assembled at an 80,000 sq feet manufacturing facility inside an existing campus owned by the company and the location falls on the Coimbatore Defence Corridor.
Rajkumar said 90% of the production will serve India’s domestic market, while the remaining 10% is likely to cater to neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“The Flying Training Organisations in India are primarily our main target customers. We are in talks with 15-20 of the 35 FTOs in the country. Of those we are in talks with, we have discussed term sheets with four of them and aim to close the deal in a month’s time,” Rajkumar added.