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Mint Explainer | One approval doesn’t make a market: Why new airline NOCs won’t break India’s aviation duopoly

December 25, 2025

Mint ExplainerMint Explainer | One approval doesn’t make a market: Why new airline NOCs won’t break India’s aviation duopoly Abhishek Law4 min read25 Dec 2025, 05:01 PM ISTIndia’s aviation market is becoming a de facto duopoly, with IndiGo and Air India together controlling more than 90% of domestic capacity. (Image: Pixabay)SummarySeveral proposed regional airlines have received no-objection certificates, but these early approvals do little to change the structural barriers that have kept India’s aviation market firmly in duopoly territory. NEW DELHI: Late on Tuesday, civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu tweeted that three proposed airlines—Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress—have received no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the ministry. With Air Kerala already holding one, the announcement appeared to signal a surge of new entrants into India’s regional aviation market. But the impression that multiple new airlines are poised to take off is misleading.

Credit: Livemint

Key Highlights

An NOC is only the first, and the easiest, step in a long regulatory and financial process.
In most cases, it never results in an operational airline—let alone one capable of challenging the dominance of IndiGo and Air India. Mint explains what the government’s NOC actually signifies, and why these approvals are unlikely, by themselves, to change the current structure of India’s aviation market any time soon. View full ImageFile photo of civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu. Does this signal the end of the IndiGo–Air India duopoly?No.
An NOC does not allow an airline to fly, sell tickets, or commence operations.
It merely permits a company to begin the formal process of setting up an airline. Air Kerala illustrates the gap between approval and execution.
Operated by Zettfly Aviation Pvt.

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Mint Explainer | One approval doesn’t make a market: Why new airline NOCs won’t break India’s aviation duopoly

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

Mint Explainer | One approval doesn’t make a market: Why new airline NOCs won’t break India’s aviation duopoly

Key Highlights

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