Domestic airlines will operate 11,886 weekly flights during the winter schedule, which begins on the last Sunday of October, an increase of over nine per cent as compared to last winter.

Sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said IndiGo and SpiceJet will see an increase of almost 22 per cent in the number of domestic flights in the winter schedule which starts from October 27, compared with what they operated last winter.

The latest data show that IndiGo will have 2,987 departures a week during the winters, up from 2,444 departures a week in winter 2012.

Globally, airlines follow a winter and summer schedule.

The winter schedule runs from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March of the following year, and the summer schedule extends for the rest of the year.

SpiceJet plans 2,718 departures-a-week in winter 2013, up from 2,233 departures-a-week last year.

Despite the increase in number of flights being operated by domestic airlines, they will not be fying to any new airport within the country.

>ashwini.phadnis@thehindu.co.in

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