More than two months after the aircraft he built was given a registration certificate by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Maharashtra government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jet Airways pilot Amol Yadav at the Magnetic Maharashtra conclave. Under the MoU, the government will help Yadav’s company, Thrust Aircraft Pvt Ltd, to manufacture 19-seater planes at Palghar in Dahanu.
Six years after being built on the terrace of Yadav’s apartment building in Charkop, suburban Mumbai, the six-seater aircraft received DGCA registration certification on November 20, 2017. Named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the aircraft VT- NMD is yet to acquire a flying licence from the safety body. The MoU was signed on Monday in presence of Fadnavis and state Industries Minister Subhash Desai. “It is a proud moment for me. My family and I have worked on this project for 17 years. Through co-operation from the government, I am sure to achieve greater heights,” Amol said.
According to the MoU, the government will allot Yadav at least 157 acres of land in Palghar to set up his aircraft manufacturing unit. “The government will help me with other facilities including water and electricity required for aircraft manufacturing. I will be required to build at least one 19-seater aircraft by the end of 2018. After this MoU, I expect the land will be handed over to me sooner. The facility is expected to generate job opportunities for 10,000 people,” Amol added.
Officials said the MoU with Thrust Aircraft is the first step towards an indigenous aircraft manufacturing company in the state. In the coming six years, the company expects an investment of Rs.35,000 crore in the aerospace sector in the state through the aircraft manufacturing unit. This would be invested by small and medium scale operators who would want their aircraft to be manufactured in the state. “We will help Yadav with initial investments but it will be difficult to quote a proper figure right now. We want to make many more Amols from this initiative,” said Kaustubh Dhavase, officer on special duty to Chief Minister Fadnavis.
On November 20, 2017, Fadnavis formally handed over the DGCA certificate to Yadav. At the ‘Make In India’ mega-event in Mumbai in 2016, Yadav had displayed the aircraft for the first time. “I would require an initial investment of Rs 500 crore for setting up the company. We are yet to decide on the way in which we would generate that,” Amol added. The aircraft spanning 31 feet in length was manufactured at a cost of Rs 5 crore. He expects to receive the flying licence from DGCA within a month’s time, he said.
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