New long-haul carrier Hans Airways has carried out its formal route proving flight for the Civil Aviation Authority.
A newly re-registered Airbus A330-200 with more than 100 people on board flew for two hours from Birmingham airport last week.
This followed a familiarisation test flight a day earlier with landings at Prestwick and Doncaster Sheffield airports before returning to Birmingham.
The route proving flight for the CAA was the penultimate regulatory milestone in being able to start commercial revenue operations.
Hans Airways expects to start flying between Birmingham and Amritsar in northern India from next month, subject to licence approval.
Chief commercial officer Martin Dunn said: “We are now really looking forward to pro-active engagement with the travel trade community.”
The airline is recruiting to add 20 more cabin crew from its Birmingham base.