Should India Build the RTA, or Partner with Global Giants?

India wants to build its own passenger plane, the RTA. It's a big, 90-seater designed to take on regional flights. Problem is, this dream comes with some seriously bumpy skies ahead, mostly about money.

See, just getting the RTA off the ground will cost an estimated $2 billion. That's a lot, but an expert says it could get way more expensive! To actually make this plane successful in the long run, India might need to offer up to $15 billion in tax breaks and other goodies to make it appealing to airlines. That's a lot of cash, and naturally, the Indian government is hesitating.

Here's why it's so tough: India used to own its own big airline, Air India. That meant they could promise to buy a bunch of RTA planes to get the project going. But Air India was recently sold, so now India has to rely on private airlines to step up.

And that's where it gets tricky. Airlines don't like spending money unless they're sure something works. Would you want to be the first airline to bet your entire business on a brand-new plane from a company that's never done this before? Plus, even if the plane's amazing, it has to compete internationally with giants like Boeing and Airbus, who have been around forever.

So, the expert suggests a change in plans. Instead of trying to invent a whole new plane, maybe India could convince some of those big plane makers to come set up shop there! India could help build planes we all know and trust, and in the process, learn how it's done.

Building a new passenger plane is a risky business. India's got to figure out if it's worth the gamble, or if there's a smarter way to make its mark on the aviation world.

 

[beencensured]

Cancel tata ownership of AirIndia. They have further reduced AirIndia's reputation with countless irregularities. Then make RTA.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

Cancel tata ownership of AirIndia.

Hey Mahaa-mannav.

Aap gyani ho
Antaryami ho
Bahot bade Swami ho
Buddhiman ho
Shaktiman ho

Mai toh kehtaa hoon, aap purush hi nahin ho.

Aap, Mahapurush ho, Mahapurush!!

 

[Ysmir Rewari]

Cancel tata ownership of AirIndia. They have further reduced AirIndia's reputation with countless irregularities. Then make RTA.

How have they reduced Air India's reputation? Soon Vistara and Air India will merge, then hopefully their services will improve many fold. We need price competition between indian airlines, Indigo's current monopoly needs to be rivalled. Indian travellers may benefit from price drops due to this.

 

[beencensured]

How have they reduced Air India's reputation? Soon Vistara and Air India will merge, then hopefully their services will improve many fold. We need price competition between indian airlines, Indigo's current monopoly needs to be rivalled. Indian travellers may benefit from price drops due to this.

Well, let us list that incident that Tata's making quick buck serving drinks a man happen to urinate on elderly women. Further an eighty year old died because he did not get requested wheel chair. These type of incidents have become common. Besides GOI should never allowed a monopolist into airline industry who want to make c295 airbus jets too as just takes away from competition with their single vendor crony deals, Tata has plenty of money, but is more interested in crony capitalism destroying all competition.

 

[NSR]

Perhaps India should rope in Brazil's Embraer for a joint design and development, and manufacturing plans.
India do not need to re-invent a wheel again and again.

 

[Ysmir Rewari]

Well, let us list that incident that Tata's making quick buck serving drinks a man happen to urinate on elderly women. Further an eighty year old died because he did not get requested wheel chair. These type of incidents have become common. Besides GOI should never allowed a monopolist into airline industry who want to make c295 airbus jets too as just takes away from competition with their single vendor crony deals, Tata has plenty of money, but is more interested in crony capitalism destroying all competition.

Don't you think since Indigo had already monopolised indian air industry, it was important to introduce a powerful rival against them. I agree Tata is already too powerful, but it will take significant effort on their part to bring Air India on track, and even with Vistara-AirIndia meger they will be hard put against Indigo.

I think that's a win-win situation for travellers.

 

[P.K.Chaudhuri]

NAL needs re-organisation. SARAS, one of its main developmental projects has taken India back by many decades.

 

[Sandeep]

This is a crucial project and funds will be given as and when it's needed so that we can develop our own indigenous plane that can start and provide more air coverage for citizens support as well as transport cargo. India needs to indigenously develop a model with accurate statistics that isn't biased to any jet or the competition.

 

[Puneet]

If the airlines are incentivised to adopt this ninety seater and some sectors are reserved for this aircraft then it can be helpful

 

[Shrujanam Syama]

Civilian planes are very difficult to be sold as the international certifying agency is heavily skewed towards western standards. After USSR fell, NATO took over most international agencies & they are no longer unbiased. They will demand standards same as Western ones despite the fact that Boeing 737 has seen so many failures while older 1980s planes with much simpler technology & no computers have seen fewer crashes. Those who don't adhere to the barriers set up will not be allowed to travel to western states as those countries will prohibit such planes

 

[Shrujanam Syama]

This is a crucial project and funds will be given as and when it's needed so that we can develop our own indigenous plane that can start and provide more air coverage for citizens support as well as transport cargo. India needs to indigenously develop a model with accurate statistics that isn't biased to any jet or the competition.

That is impossible. After USSR fell, NATO took over most international agencies & they will demand standards same as Western ones despite the fact that Boeing 737 has seen so many failures while older 1980s planes with much simpler technology & no computers have seen fewer crashes. Those who don't adhere to the barriers set up will not be allowed to travel to western states as those countries will prohibit such planes

 

[Shrujanam Syama]

If the airlines are incentivised to adopt this ninety seater and some sectors are reserved for this aircraft then it can be helpful

But the western biased international aviation authority will not license them unless they have specific certifications & equipments that only western countries have.

 

[Kira]

Perhaps India should rope in Brazil's Embraer for a joint design and development, and manufacturing plans.
India do not need to re-invent a wheel again and again.

That is a good point,but the potential size of market for this particular seat capacity aircraft needs to be studied too as the investment seems very stiff.

 

[yogesh]

Reference the article, if the country is serious about developing a manufacturing base for aerospace then such good projects must be encouraged, funded and completed.

From what some experts have observed we can see that India would do well by choosing to develop smaller aircrafts for regional transportation. These can be ;

1. Turboprop 30 seater
2. Turboprop 45 seater
3. Turboprop 70 seater

AND;
smaller jets of upto 100 seats

This would help us develop and establish manufacturing hub centers in the country besides HAL. Collaboration is a good way to build capabilities and capacities in commercial aviation. It would also help create cobranded engineering marvels for the discerning global customers.

A possibility of having factories onshore and offshore where different aircraft categories can be designed and developed for building a viable alternative and business model may emerge

 

[SK]

Indian-Govt should encourage a JV b/w Embraer & Indian Pvt Sector for production of these Aircraft under Make-in-India program:-

1. E-Jet family
2. E-2 Jet Family
3. C-390 Millennium
4. Embraer Turboprop

Embraer Aircraft are suitable for India's domestic requirements.