After KFA exit, flight summer schedule remains same

Even as Kingfisher Airlines’ services have been grounded since October 2012, the total number of flights for summer schedule in domestic travel in 2013 is more or less the same, compared to the winter schedule.

Among all the domestic carriers, Jet Airways and JetLite maintain the maximum departures a week, 3,441, a notch above 3,369 in winter schedule.

IndiGo follows Jet combine with 2,841 departures a week. It picked up from 2,447 services in last winter schedule. IndiGo gained maximum number of slots.

While the total departures per week in this summer schedule are 11,541, it was around 11,510 in winter.

“SpiceJet has sought Delhi-Dharamshala route where Kingfisher was flying earlier. However, the application is pending because of safety concerns,” a senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told Business Standard.

There was hardly any presence of Kingfisher in the winter schedule.

After Kingfisher was grounded, airline fares shot up by 30-40 per cent. Because of this, domestic traffic fell by 8-10 per cent.

In FY13, the domestic airlines were also targeting capacity addition. There were proposals to add 97 aircraft.

Notably, the aircraft acquisition process also has been smoothened with Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh scrapping the Aircraft Acquisition Committee, which used to grant permission to companies to import planes. With this, airlines, charter companies and flying clubs will now be able to import aircraft without the permission of the ministry.

Earlier, Singh had told Business Standard, “There will be no unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and now no one can complain that civil aviation ministry is favouring one airline over another. We are liberalising the system. Now, only an in-principle clearance from the ministry will be required for import of planes, as it is essential under the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) guidelines.”

Experts and airlines hailed this as a positive move.

“The committee was not required and served no purpose except adding to the red tape. We welcome this decision and we will have to work towards reducing all regulatory barriers,” said Kapil Kaul of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.