The 'game' of the skies is about to change, Modi government on a mission to break the duopoly, green light given to 3 new airlines
Al Hind Air is promoted by the Kerala-based Al Hind Group. FlyExpress has joined the list of carriers. Shankh Air has already received approval and is expected to begin commercial operations next year.
India's Civil Aviation Market: India's civil aviation market is poised for renewed competition. Two new airlines, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress, have received No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Furthermore, Uttar Pradesh-based Shankh Air (which already holds a NOC) is expected to begin operations in 2026. This government move will further increase competition in a sector dominated by a few major players.
These approvals come at a time when the government is demonstrating renewed intent to increase participation in the world's fastest-growing domestic aviation market.
Currently, only nine scheduled domestic airlines are operational. This number further declined after regional carrier FlyBig suspended scheduled flights in October.
Al Hind Air is promoted by the Kerala-based Al Hind Group. FlyExpress has joined the list of carriers. Shankh Air has already received approval and is expected to begin commercial operations next year.
The push to bring in new players has intensified amid growing concerns about the dominance of two companies in the industry. IndiGo and the Air India Group (which includes Air India and Air India Express) together control over 90 percent of the domestic market. IndiGo alone has a market share of over 65 percent.
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These concerns were further exacerbated by major operational issues at IndiGo earlier this month, which impacted the entire network and highlighted the risks of heavy reliance on a single carrier in a fast-growing market.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Ramamohan Naidu shared the latest approvals in a post on X on Tuesday. He said the ministry had met with teams from Shankh Air, Al Hind Air, and FlyExpress, and explained that while Shankh Air already had approvals, the other two carriers received NOCs this week.
Naidu also reiterated that, given the pace at which Indian aviation is growing, encouraging more airlines has been a consistent policy objective.
He pointed to government schemes like UDAN, which aim to improve regional connectivity and have helped smaller carriers gain a foothold.
Under UDAN, airlines like Star Air, IndiaOne Air, and Fly91 have expanded their services on underserved routes, thereby connecting smaller cities to the national aviation network.
The minister said there is room for further growth in this segment. According to the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's scheduled airlines currently include IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, state-owned Alliance Air, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, Fly91, and IndiaOne Air.