AirAsia India has been granted its Air Operating Permit (AOP) by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Government of India. AirAsia (India) is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited, Telestra Tradeplace and AirAsia. AirAsia submitted an application to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) of India in February 2013 and received a formal approval in April 2013, followed by the No Objection Certificate (NOC) in September 2013.
Mittu Chandilya, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia India said, “All of us at AirAsia India have been working hard to prepare for this moment and receiving the AOP today marks the beginning of a revolution in the Indian aviation industry. Our priority will be to enable as many Indians as possible to travel by air, emphasizing on a focused and disciplined cost structure and most definitely, keeping our fares low as well. There are over a billion people travelling by train in India at present and with AirAsia’ s everyday low fares, we hope to serve and convert this same group of people and present to them the convenience of flying and getting to their desired destinations in a faster, cheaper and safer manner.”
S. Ramadorai, Non-Executive Chairman, AirAsia India commented, “Every revolutionary idea starts off as a dream before it becomes a reality. At AirAsia India, we will bring to reality the dreams of millions of Indians who aspire to travel by air at attractive prices. Just as Mr. Tata envisioned and enabled making automobiles affordable and accessible to every Indian, common man, AirAsia India will make affordable air travel a reality .Our vision for the airline is to offer world-class high-quality, safe, reliable and affordable air travel to everyone in India. I would like to thank the Government of India and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for guiding us through the processes and believing in our vision. I take this opportunity to wish the entire team at AirAsia India the very best for an exciting journey ahead.”
Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace stated, “I am very excited and happy about receiving the Air Operating Permit. It has taken 7.5 months of hard work by the team led by Chandilya and the Board of Directors is extremely excited that we can now provide the people of India a truly affordable, reliable & quality way to travel by air.”
Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia said, “It’s a proud day for me and all of us at AirAsia as AirAsia India takes its first step towards changing Indian aviation forever. We thank the Indian government for putting people first and not letting vested interests prevail. The Indian consumer is the winner. Our 12 year battle continues to make flying affordable against airport monopolies and incumbent airlines that have not been efficient. India will be a huge addition in realizing our promise of ‘Now Everyone Can Fly.”
AirAsia India is expected to announce its first line up of domestic routes in the coming weeks.
