In the significant attempt in India to develop small civil transport aircraft, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has introduced Hindustan 228 under Udaan Scheme, which is a 19-seater aircraft that can be operated even in semi-prepared unpaved airstrips.

Apurba Roy, General Manager of HAL, said, “The design of Hindustan 228 has been transferred to us from Dornier GmbH. This aircraft is under type certification, and all the testing parameters have been completed. There is a huge potential for these aircraft in the market. There are also few aircraft in India and worldwide that are designed for short-time travel and can be operated on a semi-prepared runway. This aircraft can have many utilities. They can be used as an ambulance, cargo, parajam, paradrop, etc.,” he said.