AirAsia India, a joint venture between Malaysia’s AirAsia, Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace, has secured approval from Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to begin commercial operations in the country.
The airline has won the approval after several litigations, marking the first airline with foreign investment to operate in India.
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India opened up its aviation industry to foreign investment in 2012 in a move to support growth in the market and the economy.
India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approved a $30m deal to launch AirAsia India in April 2013, the same year the carrier secured a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Speaking about the development, Malaysian carrier AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes tweeted: "History has been made today in aviation. Everything has been hard for AirAsia but we never give up. Today, AirAsia India has got approval".
Following the approval, AirAsia India will get its schedule cleared by the DGCA before opening bookings to begin the commercial service.
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By GlobalDataInitially, the carrier will focus on providing services to non-metro towns.
In March, AirAsia India received its first aircraft, an Airbus A320 with Sharklets, the first in the airline’s initial fleet of ten A320s.
Powered by CFM engines, the new aircraft features an all-economy layout with a capacity to accommodate 180 passengers.
Image: In March, AirAsia India received its first aircraft, an Airbus A320 with Sharklets. Photo: courtesy of P PIGEYRE/ Airbus SAS.
