However, his nomination by the Civil Aviation Ministry is subject to the clearance of the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet, official sources said.
Zaidi, who is a Joint Secretary presently posted at the ICAO, is an Uttar Pradesh cadre officer of 1976 batch.
Gohain, who was to have superannuated last year, is at present on his second extension due to the delay in locating a suitable successor.
His second-in-command, Joint Director General A K Chopra, does not fulfil an essential requirement of completing two years in his present post to be elevated to the top job.
Zaidi was elected to the ICAO, a United Nations agency which fixes rules and sets standards for the civil aviation sector worldwide, last year.
Another Joint Secretary in the Civil Aviation Ministry, R K Singh, was elected as Chairman of the ICAO General Assembly's Economic Commission.
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