US nod for Air Sahara

The US Department of Transportation said the carrier is “financially and operationally qualified”. Approving the Air Sahara application of October 3, the Director of the Office of International Aviation in DOT, Paul L. Gretch, said the decision was taken under the historic Indo-US Open Skies Agreement signed in April.

According to Gretch, the US Federal Aviation Administration also gave its nod to the Air Sahara application and found nothing objectionable. Officials said with this, things would become much smoother and easier for Air Sahara to fly its own commercial flights between India and the United States in a few years from now.

This is unlike its rival Jet Airways, whose application for a Foreign Air Carrier permit now seems to have been postponed for an indefinite period because of serious questions being raised regarding its alleged foreign terrorist links and source of funding. Referring to the spat between United Airlines and Continental Airlines on the abbreviated application filed by Air Sahara, DOT said neither of them had opposed the grant of permit to the private Indian carrier.

On the president of Air Sahara not being a US citizen, the DOT said: “To the extent that a question may exist as to the ownership and control of the carrier, we find that a waiver of our ownership and control standard is justified in this case, as there’s nothing in the ownership and control of the carrier that would be inimical to the United States aviation policy or interests.”