Rivals look to stop AirAsia launch

NEW DELHI: Claiming that the approvals granted to AirAsia India were “illegal”, a lobby group of Indian airlines has asked the government to advise aviation regulator DGCA not to allow the no-frill airline to launch its operations due for June 12.

“It is our request that the government advise the DGCA not to permit AirAsia India to proceed to fly, that too with merely one aircraft with the sole intent of making the decision [to let them fly] a fait accompli and difficult for the government to review,” the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) said in a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley.

When contacted, officials of AirAsia India refused to comment on the letter. The FIA said the DGCA had cleared in haste AirAsia India’s flight schedule, on the basis of which the airline