Procedural delays on part of AirAsia may hold up permit

New Delhi: Even as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is prepared to issue the air operator’s permit (AOP) to AirAsia India, procedural delays on part of the airline in completing recruitment and import of aircraft to its headquarters in India may hold up the process.
A top government source told Business Standard, “The ministry of civil aviation has already issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the airline. If all documents provided by the airline meet the regulatory process, the DGCA should be able to issue AOP by early November. The airline has, however, not imported aircraft or completed recruitment which may hold up checks.”
AirAsia India had applied to the DGCA for AOP on October 4, two weeks after it received the NOC from the civil aviation ministry. The NOC enabled AirAsia India to import the first of the three aircraft to Chennai, which would be its headquarters. But the aircraft has not been brought in yet for scrutiny by the DGCA. The official added that the procedure for award of AOP is being conducted in accordance with CAP3100, which involves a checklist of 36 items.
Read news in full 16/10/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard