Mahindra gets nod to sell airplanes in India

MELBOURNE, Nov 19 (PTI): India's Mahindra group can finally start selling its airplanes in India after it got all approvals from the country's civil aviation ministry, Chairman and Managing Director Anand Mahindra said today.
"The aviation ministry yesterday has cleared few norms for certification, which will finally allow us to sell our Australian planes in India," Mahindra, who is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's CEO delegation to Australia, told PTI here.
In New Delhi, ministry sources said the type certification for the single piston engine aircraft, given by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), was accepted by the Indian regulator DGCA.
The approval was stuck for long due to problems related to certification for such aircraft to fly with nine passengers, besides crew, instead of four which was allowed under Indian regulations.
In 2009, Mahindra group announced its intention to be a big player in the aerospace business by acquiring 75.1 per cent stake each in two Australian aerospace firms for Rs 175 crore as part of its plans to manufacture aircraft and allied components to service global market.