India’s aviation boom needs more planes. Can the country build its own passenger aircraft?

India is among the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, with passenger demand surging year after year.

IndiGo and Air India have ordered nearly 1,500 aircraft, deepening dependence on Boeing and Airbus, both struggling with delays.

Global delivery backlogs are now spilling into India, threatening expansion plans and capacity growth.

A new India–Russia aircraft manufacturing proposal has revived the long-running debate over domestic plane production.

India’s civil aviation story is entering a decisive phase. As air travel demand explodes, the country needs hundreds of new passenger jets. But with global aircraft makers stretched to their limits, a strategic question is resurfacing: can India build its own commercial airplanes instead of waiting for deliveries from abroad?

Why India needs so many planes

India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, driven by rising incomes, cheaper fares, and expanding regional connectivity. Airlines are racing to add capacity to keep up.

IndiGo and Air India, which together control over 90% of India’s domestic market, have placed combined orders for nearly 1,500 aircraft over the next decade. These orders are central to their plans to dominate short-haul, long-haul, and international routes.

But there is a catch.

The Boeing and Airbus bottleneck

Today, Boeing and Airbus account for about 86% of global commercial aircraft supply. Both manufacturers reported historically high delivery backlogs in 2024, with production delays caused by supply chain disruptions, safety checks, and labour constraints.

Industry analysts warn that these backlogs are not short-term issues. Indian airlines, despite being among the world’s largest customers, are likely to face delivery delays, complicating fleet expansion and route planning.

For a market growing as fast as India, delays translate directly into lost capacity, higher ticket prices, and slower connectivity growth.

The question returns: should India build planes?

Against this backdrop, the idea of domestic passenger aircraft manufacturing is gaining fresh attention.

In October, India and Russia signed an initial agreement in Moscow to explore manufacturing the SJ-100 passenger aircraft in India. The announcement revived hopes that India could eventually reduce its reliance on Western manufacturers.

The SJ-100 is a narrow-body aircraft designed for short- to medium-haul routes, similar to the planes that dominate India’s domestic skies.

Government officials described the agreement as exploratory, but the signal was clear: India is willing to consider building planes at home if global supply constraints persist.