'AirAsia stake not a hurdle for Tata Sons JV with Singapore Airlines'

New Delhi: Tata Sons' investment in AirAsia India is unlikely to cause a problem for the group's latest joint venture with Singapore Airlines in obtaining a flying licence, sources in Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) indicated on Monday.
“As long as the two airlines don't have the same board members and management team and the synergies in operations and maintenance are carried out under a proper commercial contracts, there should be no problem,” said a senior DGCA official. “It's not the first time that the same promoter will hold two airline licences. Naresh Goyal's Jet Airways hold's one licence under airline code 9W while its wholly owned subsidiary Jet Lite holds the licence under code S2.”
“The question of monopolising competition also doesn't come into play as these will be two new airlines,” the official added. “If the documents are in order, I do not see Tata-Singapore Airlines facing any major hurdles in obtaining a flying licence.”
Read News In Full 24/09/13 Debabrata Das/Financial Express