Bengaluru/Kanpur: India‘s locally-made civilian fixed wing aircraft has achieved a key milestone, carrying out ground run and low speed taxi trials, to gain certification from the government aviation authorities.

The aircraft, christened Hindustan-228 (VT-KNR) and belonging to the Dornier Do-228 family, is targeting the regional connectivity market under the UDAN scheme of the Government of India‘s Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Defence public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) carried out the Ground Run and Low Speed Taxi Trials (LSTT) of the Hindustan-228 aircraft successfully on Aug. 15 (yesterday) for Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ‘Type Certification’, a statement from the state-run company said. The event was part of 75th anniversary of India’s Independence Day celebrations at HAL’s Kanpur facility.

“This is a major milestone for the first fixed wing ‘Made in India‘ civil aircraft. It is a step forward towards strengthening regional air connectivity,” HAL’s Accessories Complex Chief Executive Officer Sajal Prakash said.

“The type certification will also enable HAL to get the international certification for the aircraft. The aircraft complies with the latest FAR 23 certification requirements,” DGCA Director Indranil Chakraborty said.

HAL’s Transport Aircraft Division at Kanpur has been in the business of transport and trainer aircraft for defence customers. The Division has ventured into the manufacturing of Hindustan-228 aircraft to support the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) of the Government of India.

This aircraft could be utilised successfully by civil operators and State governments for their intra- and inter-state connectivity with seamless support towards training, maintenance and logistics.

The Hindustan-228 is a 19-seat multirole utility aircraft built for various applications such as VIP transport, passenger transport, air ambulance, flight inspection roles, cloud seeding, and recreational activities like Para jumping, aerial surveillance, photography and cargo applications.

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