A certification authority that has signed off an Indian airliner
Aerospace & defence · an institution that does not exist
India has a civil aviation regulator with a large and competent safety oversight function. What it has never done is take an Indian-designed large passenger aircraft through type certification — and a certificate that other countries will recognise is what turns an aircraft programme into an aircraft business.
Why it matters
Certification is why aircraft programmes fail. Without a recognised authority and a validation relationship with foreign regulators, an Indian airliner could not be sold or operated outside India, which removes the market that would justify building it.
Where we actually are
The regulator handles operational oversight and airworthiness for imported types, and India participates in international bilateral airworthiness arrangements. Design certification experience for a large indigenous transport aircraft is what has not been exercised.
What it would take
A certification arm staffed by people who have done it, exercised on a small aircraft first, and bilateral validation agreements negotiated before the aircraft exists rather than after. Certification capability has to be built alongside the aircraft, not requested at the end.