Bengaluru: A new variant of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aircraft ‘Hindustan 228-201 LW’ has been approved by the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).
HAL on Monday informed that the variant has maximum take-off weight of 5,695 kgs with 19 passenger capability. “With this modification, the aircraft would fall in the sub-5,700 kg aircraft category. This variant provides several operational benefits for operators, such as reduced pilot qualification requirement enabling pilots with commercial pilot licence to fly the aircraft, enhanced availability of pilot pool for the aircraft and reduced operational cost. In addition, the new variant will result in reduced training requirements for flying and ground crew including aircraft maintenance engineers,” HAL said.
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HAL also has approval for 6200 Kgs AUW (aircraft gross weight) with 19 passenger capability.
HAL’s transport aircraft division, Kanpur, has ventured into the manufacturing of Hindustan-228 aircraft to support the regional connectivity scheme (UDAN) of the Central government.
This aircraft could be utilised by civil operators and state governments for their intra and inter-state connectivity with seamless support towards training, maintenance and logistics.
