Shankh Air’s Noida launch slips again as it awaits DGCA approval
Transport entrepreneur Shravan Kumar Vishwakarma’s Shankh Air is now targeting a launch sometime next year, after missing May and January targets. The proposed carrier plans to begin from Noida International Airport with three wet-leased Airbus A320s and add two A321s, pending an Air Operator Certificate.
The development
Shankh Air, founded by transport entrepreneur Shravan Kumar Vishwakarma, is preparing an India launch from Noida International Airport but remains unable to fly pending its DGCA Air Operator Certificate. It plans an initial fleet of three wet-leased A320s and two A321s.
The numbers
- Initial aircraft: 3 Airbus A320s on wet leases
- Planned additional aircraft: 2 Airbus A321s
- Initial launch target: May last year
- Revised target: January this year
- Current target: sometime next year
Why it matters to operators and investors
The shift from May to January and now next year materially raises timeline and regulatory risk for Shankh Air, making its capital needs and route-to-revenue outlook less certain.
What to watch next
- DGCA issuance of an Air Operator Certificate, or confirmation that proving flights have begun or concluded.
- Named wet-lease lessors, aircraft registrations, and confirmed delivery dates for the three A320s and planned A321s.
- Evidence of secured funding, bank guarantees, senior airline operations hires, and airport operating agreements.
- Publication of a route network, ticket-sales opening date, slot allocations, and distribution partnerships.
- Noida International Airport opening timeline and firm route commitments from established domestic carriers.
The counter-case
The repeated delays may reflect more than routine certification timing: they could signal weak capital readiness, incomplete operational capabilities, difficulty securing aircraft and crews, or unresolved regulatory gaps. A startup airline beginning with wet-leased aircraft faces thin margins, high dependence on lessors, and limited differentiation in an intensely competitive Indian domestic market. Even if approval arrives, a Noida-first launch could be constrained by airport ramp-up, route economics, slots, and consumer preference for established carriers.