India Approves Three New Airlines After Flight Disruptions

By Staff, Agencies

India has approved three new airlines to begin operations, weeks after widespread flight cancelations left thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country.

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu announced on Tuesday that the move is aimed at boosting competition in the domestic aviation market. In a social media post, he said he had met with teams from Shankh Air, Al Hind Air, and FlyExpress.

“While Shankh Air has already received a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the ministry, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress were granted their NOCs this week,” Naidu said.

The approvals follow major disruptions earlier this month, when India’s largest airline, IndiGo, canceled numerous flights after struggling to comply with new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that took effect on November 1.

Addressing parliament at the time, Naidu said the chaos stemmed from “internal lapses” at IndiGo, including crew-rostering failures and poor planning. He warned that authorities would take strict action to set an example for the industry.

India’s civil aviation regulator has since issued warnings to IndiGo, which holds around 60% of the domestic market and operates more than 2,000 flights daily.