The Ministry of Civil Aviation has awarded no objection certificates (NOCs) to Two new airlines Al Hind Air and FlyExpress, in its efforts to cut down on the dominance of a few carriers in the domestic aviation sector in India.
The green lights have been received amid new apprehension about the rise of duopoly in the sector, where the IndiGo and the Air India Group serve nearly 90 per cent of the domestic market. IndiGo has a market share of over 65 per cent on its own, and this is a cause of concern about the dangers of excessive reliance on one airline.
Those anxieties have been intensified this month following disruptions involving the entire operations of IndiGo, which resulted in massive schedule breakdowns and impacted thousands of passengers, exposing the industry to high levels of concentration.
The latest clearances were confirmed by the Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu through a post on X on Tuesday. He claimed that the ministry has conducted meetings with Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and the Flyexpress teams. Though Shankh Air, based in Uttar Pradesh, is already been granted an NOC and should start commercial operations in 2026, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress were granted their clearances this week.
Who is the owner of Al Hind Air?
Alhind Air is mostly owned and marketed by the Alhind Group, which is a giant travel and tourism conglomerate headquartered at Kozhikode, Kerala. Being the subsidiary to this group, the airline project is led by its fundamental leadership, which has decades of experience in the travel market across the globe.
Owners and Key Personalities
Alhind Air is owned and managed by the top management of the Alhind Group which is headed by the founding personalities of Alhind Group:
Mohammed Haris Thattarathil (Chairman): Mohammed Haris T. (also known as Mohammed haris Thattarathil) is the main promoter and Chairman of the Alhind Group of Companies. He has led the group to grow out of regional travelling agency into a global company that has a turnover of about 20,000 crore.
P.V. Valsaraj (Managing Director): Valsaraj is a major co-owner and leader of the Alhind Group, the Managing Director. He has over 30 years background in the aviation and travel industry and played key roles in industry associations such as IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI).
T. Ahmed Haris (Director): A Director in Alhind Group, he has a vast experience in pilgrimage travel, as he is the founder general secretary of Indian Haj Umrah Association.
The Alhind Group Background
In order to see who is the owner of Alhind Air, one will need to look at its parent organisation:
Legacy: The group was established in 1990s in Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala, and it used to deal with ticketing and tour operations.
Scale: The group has more than 130 offices around the world with a firm presence in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bangladesh.
Market Position: Alhind is a leading force in the travel industry within India-Gulf, with Alhind being a General Sales Agent (GSA) to a number of major airlines. This infrastructure is what the owners are taking advantage of to start their own fleet.
Operational Leadership
Although the ownership structure is the same as that of the Alhind Group promoters, they have employed experienced aviation professionals to manage the daily operations of the airline:
Reena Abdul Rahiman: Hired as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Airline Accountable Manager.
Alexander Nwuba: The Chief Financial Advisor, who has worked with such international airlines as SkyWest and Asky Airline.
Mohammed Abid Hussain: He has been appointed as the Director of Engineering & Maintenance, who was previously with GMR.
Alhind Air is currently awaiting their No Objection Certificate (NOC) to be given by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is preparing to obtain its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to commence regional operations with ATR 72-600 aircraft as of December 2025.
Their long term plan includes investing up to 3000 crore to venture to international routes by use of narrow body planes such as Airbus A320.
Who is the owner of FlyExpress?
FlyExpress is a new firm that has recently spread its wings in the Indian aviation industry. It is among the new entrants that have been brought to counter the dominant market positioning and enhance accessibility to other parts of the region.
Ownership and Background
The main partners and promotional support of FlyExpress is associated with a specialized logistical experience:
Logistics Foundations: FlyExpress is allegedly supported by a team that has a long history of conducting courier and cargo business. This experience offers the underlying logistical experience that is necessary in the management of the aircraft operations and regional supply chains.
Headquarters: The head office of the airline is located in Hyderabad, Telangana, which will probably be the main hub of activity of the airline.
Government Approval: FlyExpress received a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) officially by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation through the Ministry Minister, K. Rammohan Naidu, in late December 2025. This is one of the most important initial steps in regulatory process of start up of a new airline in India.
Status and Planning to launch
The airline is still in its pre-operational stage: Although the airline has been given the initial government clearance, it is still in the pre-operational stage:
Obtaining the AOC: After the realization of the NOC, the airline is now required to obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before it could commence scheduled commercial flights.
Estimated Launch: Industry projections and government reports show that FlyExpress will be able to start its flights in the year 2026.
Market Strategy: The government is positioning FlyExpress and other new airlines such as Alhind Air and Shankh Air to disrupt the duopoly that is existing between the IndiGo and the Air India Group. Its business is likely to be regional connectedness, and this may be through the UDAN scheme of the government to cover Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
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