Indian gov't clears entry for 3 new airlines, issues NOCs

NEW DELHI, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government has cleared the entry of three new airlines and granted them initial clearance by issuing no objection certificates (NOC) to them, officials said Wednesday.

The three new players are Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress.

Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the federal civil aviation minister, said the ministry has endeavored to encourage more airlines in Indian aviation.

The announcement comes weeks after India's largest airline IndiGo was hit by an operational crisis, resulting in massive disruption and a wave of flight cancellations.

IndiGo reportedly has a market share of about 65 percent, followed by Air India Group with about 27 percent, with the rest of the carriers making up the remaining 8 percent.