India’s first passenger aircraft Saras gets an expensive tag

Bangalore: A 14-seater multi-role aircraft being developed by India’s National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) for use by the country’s feeder airlines on short-haul routes and by the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be the most expensive plane in its class, although one expert said its cost would go down with an increase in volumes.
NAL has for the first time put a price tag to the Saras, Rs39.4 crore. The Saras will be the first passenger aircraft designed and manufactured in a country which, despite being in the midst of an aviation boom, still depends on overseas aircraft makers for even small aircraft.
The state-run NAL, the only design house for passenger aircraft in India, has built the two-seat trainer called the Hansa or Swan—this is sold to flying clubs to train rookie pilots— and is also working with Plexion, a unit of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, on the design and development of a four-seater aircraft that will be ready by 2010.
“Equivalent twin-engine turboprop aircraft on the commercial market costs anywhere from approximately $3.0 million (Rs11.89 crore) up to about $6.5 million (Rs25.77 crore),” said Raymond Jaworowski, a senior analyst at Forecast International, a US aerospace research firm.
Some of the closest competitors to the Saras would be the King Air 350 built by Hawker Beechcraft Corp. of US, the HAI Y-12 made by the Harbin Aviation Industry in China, Poland’s PZL Mielec-built M-28 Skytruck and the Czech-made LET L 410, he added. The Bangalore-based NAL expects the price of the Saras to drop subsequently to Rs32 crore on higher volumes and better manufacturing practices. The agency has invited private players to take up production of the aircraft in Bangalore and says they can earn annual returns on investment of 14% for the initial period.
12/02/08 K. Raghu/Livemint

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2008, New Feb 2008