Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, said that over the last one week period, the government has met with two new aspiring airline companies that are looking to launch their airline in the Indian aviation market.
Al Hind Air and FlyExpress received their no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Civil Aviation Ministry this week, while Shankh Air was already granted the same earlier.
“Over the last one week, pleased to have met teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skies—Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress. While Shankh Air has already got the NOC from Ministry, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress have received their NOCs in this week,” said Naidu in his post on X.
Ram Mohan Naidu underscored that the Ministry of Civil Aviation is encouraging more companies to launch airlines in the Indian aviation market.
The minister also attributed the sector's growth to the central government's policies, including UDAN, which has enabled small airline operators like Star Air, India One Air, and Fly 91, among others, to boost regional connectivity and foster growth.
“It has been endeavour of the ministry to encourage more airlines in Indian Aviation which is amongst the fastest growing aviation markets in the world owing to the policies of the government of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodiji. Schemes like UDAN, has enabled smaller carriers Star Air, India One Air, Fly91 etc. to play an important role in the regional connectivity within the country and there is more scope for further growth,” Naidu said in his post.
IndiGo chaos
The ministry's NOC to new airline companies assumes significance in the wake of the IndiGo crisis, where India's largest airline operator had to cancel several flights after the central government's updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules.
After the massive cancellations in December 2025, IndiGo said that it had restored 95% of its network connectivity or over 1,000 flights. However, the airline will now operate 135 out of 138 flight routes.
On 6 December 2025, the ministry ordered IndiGo to settle all pending refund payments to passengers who were affected by the meltdown. The company also apologised for the inconvenience and expressed its commitment to rebuilding customer trust and appreciated the support from its partners, government agencies, customers, and staff.
“While we understand that we have a long way to go, we are committed to build back the trust of our customers. We would like to thank all our partners and government agencies for their constant support and guidance. Most of all, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our customers and staff for their patience and cooperation through these tough times. We apologise once again,” the airline said.