With World War II coming to an end in 1945, there was a sudden spurt in new air service launches. What really fuelled this rush was the availability of cheap, wide-bodied military aircrafts (by the standard of that time) which could be easily converted for civilian use.11 Aircraft manufacturers laden with overflowing inventory were eager to dispose of their stocks at whatever price they could fetch.12 So even though the Indian entrepreneurs got their aircrafts cheap, their flight was short-lived—the government had other plans.
