Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu took a sortie today as a co-pilot in the HJT-36 jet trainer at the Yelahanka Air Base in Bengaluru during the 2025 Aero India show. Hindustan Jet Trainer-36 has been rechristened ‘Yashas’ from ‘Sitara’ after undergoing extensive modifications.

“An unforgettable experience of flying a jet at Aero India 2025. Had the incredible opportunity to do a sortie on the HJT-36 ‘Yashas’, a remarkable jet aircraft proudly made in India by HAL. This indigenous marvel is a testament to India’s growing prowess in aerospace and defence manufacturing,” Ram Mohan Naidu said.

“Thrilled to witness Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision soaring to new heights with state-of-the-art avionics,” he added.

Wearing a pilot G suit, Mr Naidu first gave a thumbs up, then wore the pilot’s helmet and the oxygen mask before taking off.

The aircraft was piloted by Harsh Vardhan Thakur, a Chief Test Pilot with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the manufacturer of ‘Yashas’/’Sitara’.

Minister Ram Mohan Naidu with HAL’s Chief Test Pilot HV Thakur

The aircraft is part of the flying display at the air show. It was renamed during Aero India 2025.

“The large-scale changes to the baseline intermediate training platform have led to significant upheaval in its capabilities and hence provided an opportunity for a new name to be given per the aircraft’s continued relevance as a training system for modern military aviation,” HAL CMD, DK Sunil said.

The aircraft was recently upgraded with state-of-the-art avionics and an ultra-modern cockpit for induction into service. These will enhance training effectiveness and operational efficiency, whilst providing weight reduction and overcoming obsolescence of imported equipment with Indian LRUs (Line-Replaceable Units), the HAL said.

HJT-36 will act as a stage 2 trainer for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, bridging the gap between the HAL and the high-performance Su-30 or Tejas fighters, ensuring a seamless progression in pilot training.

Over 70% of its components including the airframe, avionics and flight control systems are domestically produced but the aircraft is powered by the Russian NPO Saturn AL-55I engine HAL is looking for options for indigenisation.

New Delhi:

The Noida International Airport successfully conducted the first flight validation test today, paving the way for the authorities to begin its operations next year.

An IndiGo plane took off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport with only crew members and landed on the runway after necessary security checks. It was received with a water salute.

The airport is located in Jewar in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district and aims to start operations in April next year. It will become the second major airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) after the IGI airport.

“This was a prestigious project. Today the landing of the plane was a great achievement,” Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said.

Noida International Airport CEO Christoph Schnellmann thanked the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government.

“We completed the work in record time together,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Jewar Airport in November 2021.

The airport is being developed by the Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Swiss firm Zurich Airport International AG, in association with the Noida International Airport Limited, which is the implementing agency on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government.

The total area of the project is 1,334 hectares and, in its first phase, 1.2 crore passengers are expected to use the airport every year. The number is projected to increase to 3 crore by the end of the decade and 7 crore a few years after that.

One runway will be operational initially and, when it opens, the terminal will have 10 aerobridges and three bus gates. There will eventually be two operational runways and while the airport will have 28 spots for aircraft in the apron area initially, this will expand to 200 as the flights and passenger count increase.

The airport is connected to Greater Noida, Noida and Delhi via the signal-free Yamuna Expressway.

It has been planned as a gateway to tourist destinations in North India, including the Taj Mahal, and for Hindu pilgrimages like the Chardham Yatra, Kumbh Mela, Mathura and Vrindavan as well as the Buddhist circuit of Sravasti, Kapilavastu and Kushinagar.

New Delhi:

With the number of flights that have received hoax bomb threats in four days crossing 25 on Thursday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said initial investigations do not point to a conspiracy and that most of the calls had been “made by minors and pranksters”.

A 17-year-old boy was taken into custody by the Mumbai Police on Wednesday for issuing threats to four flights on Monday, including three on international routes. Officials had said the teenager wanted to frame one of his friends, with whom he had a dispute over money. 

Mr Naidu also said his department is considering changes in rules and legislation to ensure that such hoax bomb calls do not happen in the future. 

“We can’t comment on a conspiracy but whatever little we have known, it (the threats) is coming from minors or some pranksters. For very little, petty things, they are trying to issue threats on social media or through phone calls. So these are isolated incidents, there is no kind of conspiracy we can comment on,” the minister said on Thursday.

“From what we know, they are all individuals, most of them minors, who don’t understand the whole idea of what they are doing, and they are creating this kind of inconvenience,” he added.

Mr Naidu said steps are being taken to ensure that a “strict barrier is created for people trying to do these kinds of pranks” and his department is pursuing changes in rules and legislation to achieve this. 

“The police are pursuing the cases and trying to find out who is behind this. The Ministry of Home Affairs is also helping us a lot. Airlines and passengers are facing a lot of inconvenience, so we don’t want these kinds of situations to be repeated. We are ensuring action is being taken on these kinds of issues so that they don’t become a precedent for the future,” the minister asserted. 

The civil aviation minister said his department has held meetings with airlines and security agencies as well.

Series Of Calls

Police had said four bomb threats were issued on Monday and two flights were delayed, including Air India flight AI 119 from Mumbai to New York, which was diverted to New Delhi, and one had to be cancelled.

At least seven flights were impacted on Tuesday, including Air India flight AI 127 from Delhi to Chicago, which was diverted to the remote Iqaluit airport in Canada. IndiGo flight 6E 98 from Damman in Saudi Arabia to Lucknow made an emergency landing in Jaipur and threats were received by Air India Express, Akasa Air and Alliance Air as well. 

On Wednesday, a New Delhi-Bengaluru Akasa Air flight (QP 1335) returned to the capital and Indigo’s Mumbai-Delhi flight 6E 651 was diverted to Ahmedabad. Five other flights also received bomb threats, including two from SpiceJet.

The threats continued on Thursday and an Air India Mumbai-London flight was forced to declare an emergency an hour before landing. The Mumbai-London flight was one of at least five operated by Air India and two each by Vistara and IndiGo that received bomb threats, taking the total since Monday to over 28. 

Teenager’s Arrest

A 17-year-old school dropout from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh was taken into custody by the Mumbai Police on Wednesday over Monday’s threats. Officials said the teenager allegedly created a handle on X in the name of a friend with whom he had a dispute and posted bomb threats from it.

The Mumbai Police has registered seven first information reports (FIRs) in connection with the threats and so has the Delhi Police.

New Delhi:

As airline ticket prices often see a surge in price hikes during the festive season, the Centre has stepped in saying it is “keeping an eye” on the situation.

Addressing the situation, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated, “We are keeping an eye on the ticket prices of all airlines. All airlines have been told earlier that passengers should not face any inconvenience. Everyone wants to go home during the festival season, so the ticket prices should not be increased too much.”

The holiday season often sees a surge in demand, pushing ticket prices up significantly. Mr Naidu addressed this challenge, adding, “The ministry is already keeping an eye on the ticket rates being charged by airlines on all routes of the country where more people travel during the festival season. We will not force any airline company to keep the same ticket price.”

The rise in fares comes at a time when the aviation sector is already facing turbulence, with the crisis at SpiceJet Airlines being a notable example. The budget carrier — which is grappling with multiple woes, including financial challenges, legal battles and grounding of aircraft — is looking to raise money that will help it meet various obligations.

Mr Naidu confirmed that the government is monitoring the situation closely. “The ministry is keeping an eye on SpiceJet Airlines,” he said.

Mr Naidu’s comments were made during the India Regional Air Mobility Conference, where he outlined the government’s plans for the future of Indian aviation. With over 1,200 new aircraft already ordered by domestic carriers, the goal is to transform India into a global aviation hub. “By 2035, India will be the largest aviation market in the world. We plan to build 350-400 new airports in the next 10-20 years to support this growth,” Mr Naidu said.

“We are investing heavily in infrastructure. The foundation is being laid today for the aviation market of tomorrow,” he added.

New Delhi:

Expressing his condolences to the family of the taxi driver who was killed after a portion of the roof collapsed at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1 on Friday morning, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said that the ministry swung into action immediately and everyone was evacuated from the terminal as a precautionary measure.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Mr Naidu – who took charge of the ministry on June 13 – also listed the steps that the government is taking to ensure that the tragedy does not happen again and emphasised that the safety and comfort of passengers is his top priority.

The cab driver was killed and five others were injured in the collapse, which occurred around 5.30 am at Terminal 1 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which is one of the world’s busiest airports. Operations were stopped at the terminal for the rest of the day, leading to IndiGo and SpiceJet, the only two airlines that operate from there, cancelling some flights and moving others to Terminals 2 and 3. 

“It is an unfortunate accident, especially in the very early days of me taking charge of the ministry. As soon as I knew that such an incident happened, I wanted to rush to the airport. It was a little challenging at the time considering there was heavy rain and there was traffic congestion across Delhi, but one thing I have to mention is the kind of encouragement I got from PM Narendra Modi. He called me immediately and gave me the encouragement and guidance on how to handle such a crisis,” Mr Naidu, who went to the airport soon after the accident, said.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader said the injured were rushed to hospitals immediately and the ministry is ensuring that proper medical care is given to them. 

“One of the first things we did was to evacuate the entire building as a precautionary measure. All flight operations from T1 were also stopped and, to avoid passenger inconvenience, we transferred all the traffic to T2 and T3, where additional manpower was provided,” he said.

War Room

Sharing details of a review meeting he had with the Civil Aviation secretary and officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India, among others, the minister said a 24X7 war room has been set up so that passengers can get refunds within seven days or an “alternate choice of travel”. Helpline numbers have also been given.

Highlighting the advisory to airlines against raising airfares on routes to and from Delhi, the minister said the focus is also on trying to find out why the collapse happened. 

IIT Team

When it was pointed out to him that a portion of the canopy at the Jabalpur airport had also fallen on Thursday, Mr Naidu said, “There have been two back-to-back incidents and we were very concerned. A structural engineering team from IIT Delhi has also been brought in to investigate… A team is also being sent to Jabalpur. All of the nearly 157 airports in the country will see a structural inspection being done. I have asked for a report on my table within two to five days.”

“When we get the reports, we will see what needs to be done, whether it is regulation or a policy framework. Passenger convenience and safety has been my motto right from day one of taking charge of the ministry,” he assured. 

When he was asked about visiting the injured in the hospital and thanking the staff members involved in the rescue operation, Mr Naidu said he had done so because he was concerned and also wanted to express his gratitude. 

“I wanted to give that sense of confidence that the government is there for them and the minister is there for them. It’s through these gestures that I want to send a message to the people of the country that the Civil Aviation Ministry is your ministry; we care and we are listening to you,” he said.

‘Political Brownie Points’

On the opposition claiming that the roof fell in the terminal that was inaugurated by PM Modi three months ago, Mr Naidu stressed that this was not the case. 

“This is fake news. The collapse happened in a part of a building that was constructed and inaugurated in 2009. This is not an excuse, but linking it to the inauguration is totally fake news. I don’t think this is where people should try to score political brownie points… I wanted to see political maturity,” he said.