Mumbai/New Delhi: AirAsia could face a host of bureaucratic obstacles to its flying plans in India as a miffed civil aviation ministry may cite the airline's losses on South-east Asian routes and lack of airport infrastructure in India to delay or even deny key permissions.
Some of the country's leading airlines have also indicated their opposition to AirAsia's aircraft purchase programme, saying they could lobby with the ministry to scuttle the purchases if they are large in number.
AirAsia, the hugely successful low-fare airline promoted by Malaysian billionaire Tony Fernandes, needs a raft of clearances from the government, including a flying licence or what is called in industry parlance an 'air operating permit'. It also needs basic infrastructure at airports, including parking bays, landing slots etc and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the ministry.
08/03/13 Manisha Singhal & Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times
