Bangladesh’s Air Astra secures its NOC

Air Astra says it has received its no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on November 4, 2021.

The start-up must now pursue its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2022, it said in a statement.

Air Astra said its NOC was approved in a “record time” of 45 days since it submitted its application on September 21, 2021. “This is unprecedented on multiple accounts – the authority has completed its validation procedures […] faster than ever before, and the submission from Air Astra was found to be flawless.”

As previously reported Air Astra intends to use at least four ATR72-600s on domestic routes. It plans to apply for permission to operate on international routes after having flown domestically for at least one year, as CAAB regulations require.

“We are negotiating to buy four ATR72-600 aircraft from an aircraft leasing company,” said Imran Asif, CEO of Air Astra. When finalized, these aircraft will fly on all domestic routes in February 2022. He said two more aircraft would be added by 2023.

The company is reportedly owned by a Japanese expatriate businessman and his family members.