‘Not Going To Wait...’: Aviation Minister Says Govt Working Towards Goal Of Made In India Aircraft

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said that the government is working on an ambitious programme to ensure that aircraft are built entirely within the country.

While speaking in the Lok Sabha,

the Union Minister highlighted the government’s long-term vision for self-reliance in the aviation sector, and said, “We are going to create a programme through which aircraft will be built within the country. India should have its own Made-in-India aircraft as well. That is the vision with which this Government is working.”

The minister further highlighted that the Indian aviation industry has made significant progress over the past decade, driven by government initiatives, capacity expansion and positive developments in the airline segment.

He said that while India has been rapidly strengthening its aviation infrastructure—building new airports, expanding airline operations, and supporting regional connectivity through the UDAAN scheme—the key hurdle lies elsewhere.

The Minister explained that global aircraft production is dominated by a limited number of manufacturers, resulting in long wait times even for airlines with the financial capacity to expand their fleets.

“If I have a lot of money to buy aircraft and say I want to start an airline today, I still cannot get 100–200 aircraft immediately because manufacturing happens at a certain pace. These companies are not just supplying to India, they are supplying to the whole world,” he said.

Naidu highlighted that the demand surge in regions such as the Gulf and Asia-Pacific, combined with India’s rapidly growing aviation market, has intensified the pressure on global supply chains. “For India alone, 1,700 aircraft orders are pending with Airbus, Boeing and other players,” he said, adding that the delivery of these aircraft will ultimately benefit passengers through improved service capacity.

He stressed that the bottleneck lies neither with the Government nor with airlines, but squarely with global manufacturing limitations. “We have recognized that the real challenge is the availability of aircraft,” the Minister said.

In response, the Government has decided not to remain dependent on international production cycles. “This Government has taken a stance that it is not only going to wait for these aircraft to be built abroad, but will create a programme through which aircraft will be built within the country,” he said.

His response came amid ongoing IndiGo operation crisis that caused widespread flight disruptions.