Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu met officials of three new airlines (Photo-X)
Digital Desk, New Delhi. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu met the teams of three emerging airlines—Shank Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress—on 23 December 2025. The move is aimed at promoting more competition after IndiGo's massive flight cancellation crisis in early December.
The minister said on social media that Shankha Air has already received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from DGCA, while Al Hind Air (of Kerala-based Alhind Group) and FlyExpress (Hyderabad-based courier company) have been issued NOCs this week.
Shankha Air will focus on connecting cities of Uttar Pradesh like Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra and Gorakhpur at affordable rates.
The government is encouraging new airlines in the world's fastest growing aviation market; UDAN scheme has strengthened regional connectivity of small airlines like Star Air, Fly91 etc.
In early December, IndiGo's failure to adapt to the new crew-rostering rules led to widespread flight disruptions, leaving millions of passengers stranded at airports across the country.
At the center of the crisis were rules that required pilots and cabin crew to take more rest, including 48 hours of weekly leave instead of the previous 36 hours, and strict limits on night landings.
The airline has been accused of not making arrangements to comply with the new rules. As a result, IndiGo faced a staff shortage, forcing it to ground more than half of its aircraft.
IndiGo has more than 60% operating market share in the Indian aviation industry. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is investigating this budget airline under anti-trust rules. Tata Group-owned Air India has about 25% share in the domestic market, followed by Akasa Air and SpiceJet.