Air India has sought the permission of the Airports Authority of India ( AAI) to operate Boeing 747-400, a wide-bodied jet airliner, at the Calicut International Airport even as the national flag carrier is awaiting a final approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to recommence operations of aircraft under Code E.
Officials sources said that Air India wanted to operate the jumbo jet in the Calicut- Jeddah sector. Its has also proposed that the direct flight be allowed to arrive in the morning and depart only in the evening. Further, it has sought a 12-hour parking at the airport.
The proposal on parking, an AAI source said, was delaying the DGCA decision to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Air India to resume the operation of wide-bodied aircraft. Air India had conducted a safety assessment and submitted a report in August. It had also rectified all anomalies pertaining to compatibility study in December.
Calicut Airport Director K. Srinivasa Rao told The Hindu on Wednesday that providing 12-hour parking throughout the day for Air India was impossible. The AAI had asked the airline authorities to revise the timings with arrival at 1 p.m. and departure by evening.
He also said that Air India had not been given approval to operate the Haj flights from the Calicut airport. Only Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines), which had already secured an NOC in December to operate wide-bodied aircraft, would conduct the Haj service from the Calicut airport. It will operate 35 flights from July 7 to August 20.
The requests for the NOC for wide-bodied aircraft operations by Air India and Emirates were pending with the DGCA.
Emirates completed all formalities in March and was awaiting approval to operate flights as early as possible, Mr. Rao said.
Regional flights
On the domestic front, he said that the AAI had approved a route under Regional Connectivity Scheme for Indigo to operate flights between Delhi and Calicut and also requested immediate operation of discontinued flight connection between Calicut and Hyderabad. “Indigo Airlines has got the slot approved from April 30 but it is yet to commence operation,” he said.
Mr. Rao said that a request has been made to Spicejet for same day return flight between Calicut and Trivandrum. Air India has also been advised to operate on the route.
Another pending proposal was with Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysia Airlines to operate for at least one nonstop flight connection to any destination in South East Asia, preferably to Kuala Lumpur, he added.