First Indian civilian aircraft designs soon

Efforts to design the country’s first indigenously-built civilian aircraft is close to becoming reality.

The joint initiative of the HAL and the NAL to build a 70-100 seater passenger aircraft through JV/Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) means that the model could be ready in two or three months.

Joint-venture partners would provide the initial investment of Rs 20 crore for the project, a HAL official said at Begumpet airport, currently hosting the Indian Aviation Show 2014, after a high profile meeting of Indian industrial leaders under the chairmanship of civil aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa.

G Ashok Kumar, joint secretary at the civil aviation ministry, said the SPV was born after the July 21, 2013 announcement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on promoting efforts to build an indigenous civilian aircraft.

While HAL’s board has approved the JV/SPV project, both HAL and NAL are closer to finalising the design.