Domestic airlines to operate fewer flights during summer

The seven domestic airlines will operate almost 11 per cent fewer flights in this summer schedule, which extends till October.

The latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) show that the domestic airlines will operate 11,541 flights every week, down from close to 13,000 weekly flights operated during the last summer schedule. Globally, the summer schedule runs from the last week of March till the last week of October.

“We may see short bursts of price discounts being offered by airlines, but, by and large, fares may remain high and stable,” said Amber Dubey, Partner and Head Aviation, KPMG, when asked whether the decrease in the number of flights would see domestic fares head northwards.

Airline officials claimed that the decline in the number of flights being operated during the summer schedule was mainly due to Kingfisher Airlines halting operations. Kingfisher operated over 2,000 weekly flights in summer schedule 2012. The airline ceased operations on October 1 last year, after it was unable to pay wages to its employees.

However, though the airlines will operate a lesser number of flights, some of them have added new services on certain routes. Air India (domestic) has added a new service linking Bangalore with Tirupati three times a week.

And, from April 7, IndiGo will operate a fifth daily flight linking Chennai and Mumbai apart from operating a second daily flight on the Mumbai-Bhubaneshwar-Mumbai and a second flight on the Mumbai-Vadodara-Mumbai sectors.

Indigo will operate the maximum number of flights per week at 2,821, followed by Jet at 2,802, and SpiceJet at 2,467.

>ashwini.phadnis@thehindu.co.in

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