India’s aviation scene is finally getting some fresh blood to break up the “IndiGo-Air India” duopoly. This week, December 23, 2025, the Civil Aviation Ministry handed out No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to two new players: Al Hind Air and FlyExpress.
The thing is, this move feels like a direct response to the “IndiGo meltdown” earlier this month that left thousands of passengers stranded. The government is basically signaling that they’re done with the current “too big to fail” status of the major carriers. Or nothing. Let’s be real, launching an airline in India is basically a financial suicide mission—just ask Jet Airways or Go First. But here we are. Those too.
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Al Hind Air: The Kerala Powerhouse
Based out of Kochi, Al Hind Air is backed by the massive Alhind Group, which already has a footprint in travel and tourism across the Gulf.
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The Fleet: They’re starting small with ATR 72-600 turboprops. Perfect for those short, “commuter” hops.
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The Route Strategy: Think Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Bengaluru. They’re targeting the South India circuit first, filling the gaps left by the bigger jets.
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The Long Game: They’ve already got their eye on the Gulf. Once they hit the 20-aircraft mark, they plan to turn Kochi into a hub connecting the Kerala diaspora directly to Dubai, Riyadh, and Singapore.
FlyExpress: The Mystery Entrant
FlyExpress is the “wild card” of the pair. While they just secured their NOC, details are still thin on the ground.
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What we know: They’re focusing on “underserved” routes under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme.
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The Competition: They’ll be joining Shankh Air (based in Uttar Pradesh), which already has its NOC and is eyeing a Q1 2026 launch with a fleet of 20-25 planes.
The Current India Flight Deck
| Airline | Parent/Base | Status |
| IndiGo | InterGlobe | ~65% Market Share |
| Air India Group | Tata Group | ~27% Market Share |
| Al Hind Air | Alhind Group (Kochi) | NOC Granted; Launching 2026 |
| Shankh Air | UP-based | NOC Granted; Launching Q1 2026 |
| FlyExpress | Independent | NOC Granted; Fleet TBD |
The “Kicker”: Why 2026 Matters
And here’s the kicker: we’re currently down to just nine scheduled domestic airlines. With Fly Big suspending operations in October, the variety for Indian flyers has hit a multi-year low.
It’s an ongoing situation where the government is desperate to push competition to keep ticket prices from skyrocketing. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has been meeting with these new teams personally, promising full cooperation from the DGCA to speed up their Air Operator Certificates (AOC). If you’re planning a trip to a Tier-2 city in 2026, you might actually have a choice beyond the “usual suspects.”
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