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Given that Jet Airways is not showing any signs of a quick revival, and the global grounding of the Boeing MAX aircraft is still continuing, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday directed the other (non-Jet) domestic airlines to review how many slots they have been allocated in New Delhi and Mumbai, and how they plan to make use of the additional slots.
The Delhi and Mumbai routes are the busiest in the country, with the two metros having over 100 daily flights between them.
Jet Airways and SpiceJet operated the MAX aircraft before the global ban on the aircraft was imposed on March 13. While Jet has five MAX aircraft, SpiceJet has 13, of which 12 were operational when the ban was imposed.
Issues such as how many additional crew members and planes airlines other than Jet have at hand were also discussed at the meeting. Airlines have been asked to share their plans on additional crew, slots and aircraft.
Safety regulator
Meanwhile, there is a view that rather than worrying about air fares, the DGCA should concentrate on its role of being a safety regulator. There are many who feel that uneconomical fares were among the factors which led to Jet Airways being in the situation that it is in currently. “If fares are too high people won’t travel...and airlines will be forced to reduce prices. Capacity is in the long run increasing anyway,” an industry watcher argued.
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