MUMBAI: In what is being described as a milestone for both the country's indigenous civil aviation and the public-private partnership programmes, the software-to-transportation Mahindra group in collaboration with CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories has successfully test-flown a five-seater aircraft.
The project , which took three years to move from the drawing board to the skies, is billed to revolutionize Indian transportation over the next decade.
The aircraft has completed five tests in the last ten days and it could take six months or more before it gets the FAR 23 certification, which guarantees the highest standards of safety. It could then go for commercial development. Once ready, each aircraft is expected to cost around $400,000 (about Rs 2 crore) and would also be the first such commercial aircraft in the world which offers afive seat configuration.
For the Mahindra group, it is the second leap into aviation after it acquired the Australiabased aircraft maker Gippsland Aviation about two years ago. For the $12.5-billion Mahindra group, it's like reliving its own heritage and marks the third major intervention for the group in transportation after the introduction of Jeep in the mid-40 s and Scorpio in 2002-both of which left an indelible mark on the country's transportation roadmap.
"It may not have the sex appeal of jets but it would open up areas which were virtually not accessible earlier and aviation would become an alternate mode of transport to connect such remote locations," a visibly excited Anand Mahindra told TOI describing the reach and potential of the initiative.
Top group officials compared the potential of the programme to the Scorpio, the group's SUV, which helped increased the M&M market cap around 50 times, seen to have been the game changer for the group. It also brings Anand Mahindra , one small step closer to his cherished dream of being the Embraer (a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer) of India. "It has the potential of democratizing aviation," he added.
The running cost of the aircraft (in terms of per seat km) would be only 30% more expensive than a car, Hemant Luthra, chairman of Mahindra Aerospace said. The market for small aircraft (20 seats and below) started to de-grow in 2007 and stands at roughly 2000 a year and is expected to turn the corner in 2011 with a small growth, he said. The main competitors for Mahindra in the segment include Cessna and Piper. CSIR director general Samir Brahmachari , is equally excited.
No comments:
Post a Comment