Made-in-India 19-seater plane 'Hindustan 228-201 LW' gets DGCA nod for civilian flight ops

A new variant of an aircraft made by India's Government-run defence-aerospace firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has received approval for carrying out commercial flights for civilians. HAL announced that its modified aircraft received clearance from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Known as ‘Hindustan 228-201 LW’, the aircraft is a modified version of the Dornier-228 that HAL has been licence manufacturing in India. the Dornier-228 has been in use for short-range maritime patrol and surveillance by Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

According to HAL, the DGCA-approved variant has a maximum take-off weight of 5695kgs with 19 passenger seating capacity. With this modification, the aircraft would fall in the Sub-5700 kg aircraft category. HAL says that the variant offers operational benefits for operators such as reduced pilot qualification requirements enabling pilots with Commercial Pilot License to fly the aircraft, enhanced availability of pilot pool for the aircraft and reduced operational cost.

The new variant will also result in reduced training requirements for flying and ground crew including aircraft maintenance engineers, HAL added. The Government-run company also has approval for a 6200kgs variant with the capacity to carry 19 passengers. The added weight would mean the ability to carry more cargo.

In terms of utility for civilian flights, it is foreseen that the new 19-seater aircraft would be flown on the short-flying routes that fall under the Indian Government's Regional Connectivity Scheme(RCS). The RCS scheme was initiated with the idea of offering low-cost, enhanced aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in tier II and tier III cities. The number of operational airports in India has significantly increased since the introduction of this scheme in 2016.

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