NEW DELHI, April 4 – The newly formed AirAsia-Tata Group joint venture (JV), AirAsia India, is keen to fly international routes and has drawn up plans to recruit pilots for its wide-bodied, long-haul aircraft, Mail Today reported.
It said although domestic aviation rules restrict new airlines from operating domestic routes for the first five years of their operations, AirAsia India has sounded the government that it wants to fly to major overseas destinations, including the Gulf, Europe, United States and several Southeast Asian countries.
“They (AirAsia) have ambitious plans and want to move forward fast. Sooner or later, we expect changes that could relax the norm of five years experience and 20 aircraft needed for any domestic airline to fly outside India,” said a directorate general of civil aviation senior official.
AirAsia has began recruitment for its Indian operation, a joint venture with India’s Tata Group and Telestra Tradeplace. The airline, to be based in Chennai, would cater primarily to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Operations are expected to begin end of the year.
BERNAMA
