Daily Briefing: 4 new airlines for India?

On that note, let’s get to the rest of the edition👇

🚨 Big Story

Weeks after the IndiGo crisis disrupted commercial airlines across India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) issued no-objection certificates (NOCs) to two new airlines: Al Hind Air and FlyExpress. A total of four regional airlines are in the pipeline, with AirKerala and Shankh Air receiving NOCs last year, but have yet to start operations, pending Air Operator Certificates.

Does India need more airlines? The recent disruptions have raised concerns over the duopoly in the aviation sector, as IndiGo and Air India dominate approximately 90% of the domestic market. India, being the fastest-growing aviation market in the world, may benefit from the entry of smaller, regional airlines.

Challenges remain: Experts have warned that several past regional airlines have tasted failure. Examples include Paramount Airways, Air Pegasus, TruJet, and Air Odisha, among others. High price sensitivity and low profit make India a difficult market for smaller carriers. Sukalp Sharma explains in detail.

In other news from the aviation sector, the Navi Mumbai International Airport began commercial operations on Thursday. NMIA is expected to ease the congestion at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, India’s second-busiest airport. Gautam Adani, whose Adani Airports Holdings Limited (AAHL) developed the airport and holds the majority stake, welcomed the passengers on the inaugural flight.

⚡Only in Express

Launched in 2023, a job scheme enabled India to send workers to Israel to address labour shortages in the construction sector, offering monthly salaries of over Rs 1.5 lakh. By the end of 2024, around 5,000 workers had been sent. This figure would have likely increased as Israel also opened unskilled, non-construction roles to Indians. Now, 376 candidates have moved court against the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), alleging “discrimination”. They claim they were overlooked despite exhausting life savings, mortgaging land, and pawning jewellery to pay for travel to Israel. Ritu Sarin brings you the details.

📰 From the Front Page

Worrying: Disruptions marred Christmas celebrations in several states. In Assam, a group of Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad activists stormed a diocese school in the Nalbari town on Christmas Eve, and vandalised decorations there. This was the latest in a string of disruptions reported in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi in the past week.

Forecast: The GDP growth projection is likely to moderate with inflation expected to gradually move closer towards the target in the next few quarters, said Saugata Bhattacharya, one of the three external members of the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). He added that the moderation was largely “trade-related” and “seems to be transient”. Read the full interview.

📌 Must Read

No level-playing field? Recent reports have spotlighted the stark difference in donations to the ruling and Opposition parties. What’s the way forward? We asked two experts to weigh in.

👉 Subhash Chandra Garg, former finance secretary of India, argues that donors should remain anonymous. “Indian businesses and companies, whether small or big, receive benefits from the ruling party in the form of contracts and subsidies. They are naturally afraid of administrative and investigative action. Political donations to opposition parties can also invite retribution.”

👉 Praveen Chakravarty, chairman of Professionals’ Congress and Data Analytics of the Congress, suggests that political funding should follow the “IPL model”. “The IPL has explicit rules to ensure financial parity, and all teams have the same amount of money, so they compete only on talent and merit.”

Anxiety: The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal has sparked concerns among two electorally-significant communities — the Matuas and Muslims — that their voting rights could be snatched. The Indian Express travelled along Jessore Road (NH 35) near the Bangladesh border to speak with members of both communities. While Matuas place their hope in CAA to gain citizenship, members of the Muslim community fear summons.

⏳ And Finally…

This year, Patal Lok 2 continued the journey of a steadfast cop, Hathiram (Jaideep Ahlawat), as the action shifted from Jamuna Paar to faraway Northeast. Black Warrant took us inside Asia’s largest prison, based on Tihar jailer Sunil Kumar Gupta’s memoir. Which OTT shows struck a chord with you? Our film critic Shubhra Gupta picks the best of 2025.

🎧 Before you go, do tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode, where the hosts sat down with reporters Ritu Sarin, Soumyarendra Barik, and Jay Mazoomdaar to uncover ‘Coin Laundry’, their investigation into how cryptocurrency has become a channel for money laundering.

That’s all for today, folks! Happy weekend,
Sonal Gupta

Business As Usual by EP Unny