HAL aims for 25% civil aviation revenue share in 10 years, says CMD

HAL plans to lift civil aviation's share of revenue to 25% in a decade, banking on Dhruv NG helicopters, SJ-100 regional jets and H-228 aircraft sales

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aims to raise the share of civil aviation manufacturing in its total revenue to about 25 per cent over the next 10 years, from around 5-6 per cent at present, driven by expected strong sales of the SJ-100 aircraft, H-228 planes, and Dhruv NG helicopters, HAL Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) D K Sunil said on Wednesday.

 

HAL is in the process of obtaining civil certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the Dhruv New Generation (NG) helicopter, which is intended for commercial and civilian operations. The Dhruv helicopter has so far largely been operated in military and government roles, and the new NG variant is being developed and certified specifically for civil use.

 

"We expect the certification to be completed in the next two months. Pawan Hans today signed a pact with HAL to buy 10 Dhruv NG helicopters, which would be used for offshore operations of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)," Sunil said, adding that the maintenance support for these helicopters is assured as the company is making engines itself.

 

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Wings India 2026 summit, Sunil said the company is in discussions with the Border Security Force (BSF), which is interested in acquiring about four Dhruv NG helicopters. HAL is also in talks with state governments, such as Odisha and Karnataka, which are keen to procure these helicopters for VVIP transportation. He said HAL can produce at least 15 commercial Dhruv NG helicopters in a year, subject to demand.

 

On October 27, 2025, HAL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in Moscow to collaborate on the production of the SJ-100 civil aircraft in India.

 

Sunil said the company plans to initially source 10-20 SJ-100 aircraft from Russia over the next 1-1.5 years, and lease them to Indian airlines to understand the maintenance requirements. “We are currently in discussions with two aircraft operators for this plane,” he said, adding that domestic production of the SJ-100 is expected to begin in about three years.

 

The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body regional jet designed to carry around 100 passengers on short- to medium-haul routes. Under the agreement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture the aircraft for the Indian domestic market, marking a rare instance of a complete passenger aircraft being planned for production in India.

 

On the H-228 planes, Sunil said two aircraft have already been delivered to the West Indies, with another two set to be delivered soon. He added that the lack of simulators for training H-228 pilots has been a major hurdle in boosting sales of this aircraft.