Indian Aviation Suffers From Regulatory Issues, Say Experts
Those operated aircraft and trained pilots warn that growth has outpaced capacity.
Hyderabad:Aviation pitch in the Union Budget sounds expansive, but experts say the shine fades when proposals are measured against ground realities. Those operated aircraft and trained pilots warn that growth has outpaced capacity.
“The problem we are having is exponential growth and lack of resources, regulations which are outdated, and lack of transparency,” said Capt. Augustine Joseph, who has worked across training, operations and manufacturing in the US aviation sector.
In the Union Budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed Viability Gap Funding for seaplane operations, customs duty exemptions for aircraft parts, and incentives for domestic manufacturing and maintenance.
On paper the intention is to lower costs, push local capacity, and prepare for passenger traffic projected to reach 665 million by the end of the decade. However, in practice, industry voices say the distance between intent and execution remains wide.
Joseph, a former Indian Air Force pilot who now runs pilot training academies, aircraft operations and a manufacturing business in the United States, is in Hyderabad after attending Wings India 2026 last week and offered his assessment. "The problem we are having is exponential growth and lack of resources, regulations which are outdated, and lack of transparency,” he said.
Compliance, in his view, has shifted from oversight to obstruction. “Compliance should not stop people from growing or innovating or making things better.”
That tension shows up most in the debate around seaplanes, a headline feature of the Budget’s push for last-mile connectivity. For C.J. Chandrasekhar, director at Sky Choppers Logistics, the idea is familiar. He has nearly four decades in aviation and once operated seaplane services in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
He pointed to the hard limits that policy statements often gloss over. Pilot requirements for seaplanes are far stricter than for conventional aircraft, and water aerodromes demand jetties that do not exist at scale.
“The biggest challenge in India is infrastructure, especially the construction of jetties,” he said. Resistance from fishing communities stalled attempts in Kerala, while changes in political priorities froze plans elsewhere.
Chandrasekhar described it as a seat-based support that bridges the gap between operating cost and ticket price. It keeps early routes alive, but it does not solve structural issues around approvals, financing, or skills.
Joseph went further. “Seaplane operations are maybe two per cent of aviation,” he said, adding that India’s larger need lies elsewhere. “When we need thousands more airliners and better links to tier two and tier three cities, seaplanes are not the main issue.”
The concern that was echoed by both was about who the system serves. Joseph warned against an ecosystem that revolves around a handful of large firms. “If you have only big players in this industry, there will be no competition. And when there’s no competition, there is no real quality,” he said.
The Budget, they acknowledge, lowers costs and sends a signal. What it does not do is settle the crucial questions around decision-making, financing, and ground-level capacity. Until those are addressed, India’s aviation push may continue to taxi between ambition and delay, powerful on paper but constrained in the air.
