I have never been able to get O/F of India in less than 4-7 days so if we have an urgent flight we route around India via Colombo. Despite being promised from time to time "expeditious" O/F permits by various Indian agents none of them can actually deliver the goods. Would welome a PM from someone who actually CAN get the wretched YA number in less than 24 hours or knows the tricks about operating without one.
Cheers
PS a re-fueling stop in Colombo is a dream not the nightmare and expense of India, so the detour is well worth it