India’s new civil aviation policy which seeks to increase tickets sold from 80 million presently to 300 million by 2022 may help the newly rolled-out Irkut MC-21 jetliner find customers from among airlines operating in India, Defenseworld reported.

The National Civil Aviation Policy seeks to increase air connectivity, allow new domestic airlines to fly abroad quickly and open up the skies for European and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Unlike earlier when carriers had to wait five years to fly on international routes, they will now be able to fly abroad after operating at least 20 planes or 20 per cent of their flying capacity on domestic routes.

The policy also seeks to connect smaller towns and cities in India by developing both new airports and improving existing ones. All this is expected to increase the demand for aircraft substantially.

Irkut Corp of Russia which plans to enter the world market with its 211-seat MC-21-300 ahead of the 165 seat MC-21-200 aircraft may have done the right thing considering the potential demand for airline seats in India.

According to the CAPA Center of Aviation, India already is the fastest growing aviation market in the world with 20% year-on-year growth. The new policy is expected to provide further thrust to this growth.

With both Airbus and Boeing having strong backlogs of deliveries among Indian carriers particularly in the narrow-body A320 and 737 segments, the demand for new aircraft will only grow.

Irkut Corp is planning the MC-21-300 first flight next year and commence deliveries to its customers in 2018-19.