Finally, To Make A Plane And Fly It

Back in the 1980s, the diminutive Dornier 228 (Do-228) was part of a fleet that connected some remote corners of the cou­ntry. Now, three decades later바카라�and after a couple of ambitious homegrown civilian aircraft projects바카라�the Dornier can possibly lay claim to be the first light transport aircraft for civ­ilian use that will be fully manufactured in India. That바카라�s because the aircraft recently received a type certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which would allow it to resume civilian duties. It바카라�s a second innings of sorts for the 19-sea­ter airplane manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

Ever since Vayudoot바카라�the feeder airline service started in 1981 when today바카라�s bustling small towns were actually rem­ote outbacks바카라�shut down in the mid-1990s, the Do-228 has mostly been a military aircraft in India apart from flying with the Coast Guard. With the DGCA certification바카라�the standards globally for civilian aircraft are tougher than military aircraft바카라�the Dornier can enter the fray as the government바카라�s Regional Connecti­vity Scheme or UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) rolls out.

바카라�The Do-228바카라�s commercial flight certification by DGCA is a positive development,바카라� says Amber Dubey, partner and India head of Aerospace and Defence at global consultancy KPMG. He reckons it provides an alternative to other 19-seaters like the Canadian DHC Twin Otters, the Czech-made L-410 and the PZL M28 (now owned by Lockheed Martin).

The Do-228 was designed by German aircraft-maker Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH from whom HAL bought a production license in 1983 to manufacture these planes for the Asian market. So far, HAL바카라�s Kanpur division has produced around 130 Dornier aircraft for the Indian Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, early airline ventures like Vayudoot besides exporting to Mauritius and Seychelles. Some of the other Indian customers included UB Air, Vijay Mallya바카라�s maiden airline venture and Shimla-based Jagson Airlines.

HAL reckons the upgraded version, Do-228-201, is best suited under the Make in India category for UDAN. Its chairman T. Suvarna Raju has previously said that the company sees 바카라�big business opportunity in this segment for the next 10 years바카라�. People in the know claim that around 15 agencies, many of them domestic airlines, have shown interest.

A year ago, while on a visit to the Kanpur facility, minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said there was a demand for at least 200 aircraft in the category. Back in the 1980s, the Vayudoot fleet of ten Do-228s largely depended on Dornier GmbH for spares. That바카라�s no longer the situation, aviation industry veterans point out. 바카라�Product support will never be a problem whosoever operates this aircraft. The only suggestion I would make to the government and various airlines is that a plan be worked out for the next 5-10 years,바카라� says A.K. Saxena, a former MD (Bangalore complex)  at HAL. 바카라�In the aircraft ind­ustry, we need a plan for 5-6 years because materials have to be impo­rted so that we can keep churning out the aircraft engines, accessories, systems and avionics.바카라� The Dornier is suited for shorter routes and, in all fairness, is an indigenously produced aircraft, he adds.

Ironically, a fully homegrown civilian aircraft has been a dream that India바카라�s aeronautics community has pursued with little success for more than two decades. It바카라�s quite a long story actually, one that started with Saras, a 14-seater that the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) began building in the 1990s. The designers struggled with the initial prototype which was overweight. Of course, the project pressed on and the plane also featured at Bangalore바카라�s biennial air shows. But the project took a blow in 2009 when one of the Saras prototypes crashed during a flight test, killing three officers on board. Since then, it has struggled to get back on track though there바카라�s word that flight testing is likely to resume soon.

In 2010, even as the Saras was grounded, there came a more ambitious project to build a 70- to 90-seater aircraft aimed primarily at connecting small cities and designed for Indian conditions. The task of mapping out the process got off to a flying start and the country바카라�s top aerospace experts were involved in preparing a feasibility report that outlined the funding and manufacture. The project, then estimated at Rs 7,500 crore, had in its sights a 90-seater turbofan aircraft that would be designed and produced in partnership with private industry. Sadly, it couldn바카라�t go beyond the initial planning. As one insider puts it, not everybody was convinced with the configuration decided upon. 바카라�After that, it was a slide completely,바카라� the person says. 바카라�The 70 to 90-seater market segment is very dicey, sandwiched in bet­ween the big gorillas and the small plane-makers.바카라�

The Do-228, like most 19-seaters, is a non-pressurised aircraft, and could face a challenge when it comes to travelling comfort, says KPMG바카라�s Amber Dubey. He also points out that HAL may have to create options for leasing the aircraft themselves bec­ause small regional service operators may not have the ability to buy aircraft. 바카라�In the UDAN scheme,바카라� says Saxena, 바카라�many routes may actually not be viable with bigger aircraft. This aircraft is suited for shorter routes and opt­imum capacity utilisation.바카라�

With the UDAN scheme, the governm­ent hopes to stimulate air travel by connecting small towns and with concessions on fares바카라�operators have to cap the fare of some seats at Rs 2,500 for an hour-long flight. In the first phase, five operators including Air India바카라�s arm Alliance Air, Air Odisha, Spicejet, Turbo Megha and Capt G.R. Gopinath바카라�s Deccan Charters have been awarded 128 routes connecting 43 airports. The bidding for the second phase concluded sometime ago.

Dubey says UDAN is a great initiative that should have taken off a decade and a half ago. 바카라�The Naresh Chandra Commi­ttee in 2003 spoke about creating a regio­nal connectivity fund but the recommendation never got implemented,바카라� he says, adding that it was only under the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 that the government finally took the decision to provide fiscal and monetary incentives for regional connectivity. 바카라�The results are for all to see. Market leader Indigo has disrupted its one single-aircraft fleet strategy and has gone for turboprobs. SpiceJet has ordered another 50 turboprops and is considering bringing in 100 seaplanes on top of that,바카라� he says. Spice­Jet, which currently operates Bombardier Q400 planes in a 78 seater configuration, last year signed an agreement to buy 50 Q400 aircraft that would be 90 seaters.

Dubey explains that just Delhi and Mumbai have less than 5 per cent of the country바카라�s population but nearly 40 per cent of the Indian air traffic. 바카라�There are dozens of places of significant importance in the interiors of India from a population, tourism and industry perspective but lack air connectivity since there was no fiscal of monetary support,바카라� he says. He feels that UDAN is here to stay. 바카라�But yes, like in any industry, availability of a three-year subsidy doesn바카라�t guarantee long-term fin­ancial success.바카라� It would depend on the operator바카라�s choice of routes, destination, fleet, people, branding and cost structure besides its aligning with large carriers.

Will HAL hit pay dirt with the Dornier? UDAN holds the key.

By Ajay Sukumaran in Bangalore