India's entire aviation industry tried to block us, says Tony

AirAsia's Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has acknowledged that getting a flying licence in India has been tough.

In an interview with ET Now, he said: "The entire aviation industry has tried to block us."

He said in any country that AirAsia has gone, it has never experienced an industry that has ganged up against it. "Many people don't want us to start, which means that we must be quite good," he added.

Fernandes said the key to AirAsia's India plans was getting a licence.

"The plan remains the same. Our fares will be very aggressive. We will stimulate the market," he said.

Asked about the tough competition that AirAsia India will face in the Indian market, Fernandes told the Indian media, "What I am appealing to is a new market."

"No one is really a low-cost carrier in India right now. If you look at the fares charged by Indigo, Spicejet ... the common man has not benefited. There is no real low-cost carrier. Deccan was the last one, but that had an unsustainable model," he said.

Inching closer to launch its operations, the new no-frill carrier, AirAsia India, on Saturday took delivery of its first Airbus A-320 as it landed in Chennai after flying in from Toulouse headquarters of the European aircraft manufacturer.

The carrier, a joint venture between Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd, Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt Ltd, is still awaiting a flying licence from aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

"AirAsia India family takes immense pride in welcoming home its first aircraft which has just rolled of the manufacturing line from Toulouse", AirAsia India's Chief Executive Officer, Mittu Chandilya said.

"The arrival of our first A320 signifies that we are a step closer to our dream to create a new benchmark in the low-cost air travel category", he had said.

AirAsia India was granted in-principle approval for the import of ten A320-200 aircraft in December last year.

It plans to operate a fleet of A320-200 aircraft, initially with four-five planes and quickly expand it to ten within a year.