Air Sahara firms up US landing strategy

While rival Jet Airways is fighting a long battle to fly to the US, Air Sahara is firming up plans to enter the US skyline aboard American Airlines.

Air Sahara has sought permission from the US Department of Transportation (DoT) to fly its passengers between Indian and US cities through a code-share agreement with American Airlines.

The ‘‘Foreign Air Carrier Exemption’’ application for a period of two years was filed by Air Sahara before DoT on October 3.

Supporting the entry of Air Sahara in the US market, American Airlines on September 29 had filed a separate application before the DoT, seeking nod for its code-share pact with the Indian partner.

DoT officials said such ‘‘Foreign Air Carrier Exemption’’ permit is normally cleared within a few weeks and at times in a few days. With the ‘‘backing’’ of American Airlines, experts said it is only a matter of time before Air Sahara starts booking passengers for various American cities.

But Air Sahara passengers would be flying into the US and its various cities on an American Airlines flight and not on Sahara planes. Once okayed, the Air Sahara code ‘S2’ would be displayed on various flights operated by American Airlines in the US.

In the application filed through its attorney, Moffett B. Roller, Sahara said: ‘‘The service proposed by Air Sahara will provide an efficient use of capacity in the marketplace and additional options for the traveling and shipping public.’’

It said the Ministry of Civil Aviation gave it the necessary ‘‘No Objection Certificate’’ on August 30, 2005.

American Airlines urged DoT to approve their application at the earliest so that Air Sahara’s ‘S2’ code could be displayed on its Chicago-Delhi flights starting Nov. 15 and subsequently on American Airlines’ New York-London and Boston-London flights.

Flying highAir Sahara has sought nod from the US DoT to fly passengers between Indian and US cities through a code-share pact with American Airlines.