It Was An Abandoned Plan From 2009, But The 14-Seater Passenger Plane Saras Got A #MakeInIndia Revival

Saras, the ambitious project to build a homemade multipurpose passenger plane which almost ended in 2009 is all set for a comeback.

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National Aeronautics Limited (NAL) is all set to revive the project after several rounds of meetings with the Indian Air Force on holding flight trials.

¡°We are about to revive the Saras project,¡± Air Vice Marshal Sandeep Singh, Commandant, Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment of IAF, said.

The project which began 29 years ago had numerous hiccups through the years including lack of funding, overweight of the prototype etc.

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However, the crash of one of the two prototypes in 2009 during a test flight which killed all three crew members onboard had brought it to a grinding halt. It also did not receive any fresh funding since 2013.

According to reports, CSIR is preparing to revive the project with a modified prototype, which is "in good shape and is ready to be handed over for trial flights".

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Even if the Saras get a second chance, it will take at least a decade before it could go into commercial production.