In brief
India is experiencing rapid growth in its aviation sector, with major airlines placing substantial orders for new planes. To combat delivery delays from major manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, India is exploring the option of building its own passenger aircraft. An initial agreement with Russia to manufacture the SJ-100 plane domestically has sparked debates on the practicality and challenges of this ambitious project as India ventures into aircraft manufacturing.
India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets.
IndiGo and Air India, which together hold over 90% of the market, have ordered nearly 1,500 planes over the next decade, highlighting soaring passenger demand.
This expansion hinges on Boeing and Airbus, which together supply 86% of the world's aircraft and faced historically high delivery backlogs in 2024 - delays expected to affect Indian orders too.
This has revived an old question: should India try to build its own passenger planes?
The prospect drew attention in October, when India and Russia signed an initial agreement in Moscow to manufacture the SJ-100 passenger plane in India, raising hopes for domestic aircraft production.
But is the Russia deal a solution? Its joint manufacturing plan still faces many hurdles before coming to fruition.
The SJ-100 is a twin-engine aircraft that can carry up to 103 passengers and is already in service with several Russian airlines, according to its manufacturer, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
Delhi has described the aircraft as a game changer and plans to use it for short-haul routes. But experts have questioned the project's cost and feasibility - much of which is still unclear.
One of the biggest concerns is whether the Russian firm would be able to rapidly set up and scale production in India.
India has long aimed to build passenger aircraft domestically but has achieved only limited success. In the 2000s, India signed an agreement with Russia to manufacture the NAL's 15-seater Saras aircraft, but the project faced delays after a tragic accident. The revival efforts of this and other projects have yielded little progress.
Dr. Abhay Pashilkar, director of NAL, points out that the lack of large domestic demand until recently, along with a shortage of highly skilled manpower and a small domestic manufacturing ecosystem, has held back growth in the sector. However, could the SJ-100 project indeed mark a turning point for India's aviation industry?
While pursuing the SJ-100 project, experts call for a collaborative approach with global manufacturers to boost the chances of success.
