DGCA notifies Tata-SIA Airlines lisensing plan
09 May 2014
A day after granting flying licence to AirAsia India, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today issued a public notice on the grant of a similar permit to Tata-SIA, the proposed full-service carrier promoted by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA).
The aviation sector regulator said Tata-SIA has applied for the grant of air operators permit (flying licence) for providing scheduled air transport services in the country.
DGCA has asked individuals or entities having any objections or wanting to make suggestions to submit their views within 20 days.
DGCA said the documents submitted by the applicant are being processed by the regulator. Tata SIA Airline submitted its application for the grant of AOP nearly two weeks ago.
DGCA said it is mandatory under the Aircraft Rules 1937 to issue a notice to the public and all the persons likely to be affected by the grant of a permit to Tata SIA Airlines Ltd.
It has asked those concerned to submit their objections or suggestions, if any, within 20 days of issue of this public notice, setting out the specific grounds on which representation is made along with a certificate to the effect that a copy of the representation has been provided to Tata SIA Airlines Ltd.
DGCA had issued a similar notice under the Aircraft Rules before the grant of air operator permit to AirAsia India. However, it had rejected the objections and announced the grant of licence to AirAsia India on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court, which is hearing petitions against the grant of licence to AirAsia India, today refused a stay on the operation of the flying licence to AirAsia India, saying there was no urgency as the permit would be subject to the outcome of the petition challenging the approvals.
The court posted hearing on the matter for 11 July.
Tata-SIA, a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA, proposes to start operations by September and plans to operate from Delhi as its hub to Mumbai, Goa, Patna, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in its first year of operations.
Initially, the carrier plans to operate two flights a day to Mumbai, with one of them going further to Goa. The initial phase would also see two flights a day each to Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
The proposed airline would also connect Srinagar, Patna, Chandigarh and Jammu and proposes to add destinations like Chennai, Pune, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Indore and Kochi within the first four years of operations.
