As others cut back, IndiGo, GoAir to operate more flights this winter

Budget airlines IndiGo and GoAir will go against the grain and fly more this winter. Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet will cut flights.

Departures per week this winter will, however, climb 3.5 per cent to 12,305 from 11,886 in 2013. Apart from IndiGo and GoAir, new airlines Air Costa, AirAsia and the yet to be launched Vistara will be adding to winter flights. Competition from the new airlines is expected to keep fares in check during the season despite a moderate rise in departures. IndiGo, the country's largest budget airline, will increase flights by 25 per cent to 3,733 a week, up from 2,987 last winter. The airline is leasing two jetliners every month from Singapore's Tiger Air between October and March to add to its fleet of 83 Airbus A320s. GoAir will increase weekly departures this winter by 12.6 per cent to 957.

GoAir and IndiGo are the only two airlines making profits in the Indian aviation industry.

A reason for flight cutbacks by other airlines is the aviation regulator's decision to ban smaller aircraft at the Delhi airport during fog. The airport will be off limits for turboprops not compliant with CAT-IIIB like SpiceJet's Bombardier Q400s, Jet Airways' ATRs and Air India's CRJs.

SpiceJet will have to cut its winter schedule the most, by 16.2 per cent to 2,277 departures a week. SpiceJet has 15 Bombadier Q400s in its fleet. Air India's regional arm, Alliance Air, will slash 13.9 per cent of its flights to 210 this winter. Alliance Air recently announced flights from Delhi to Pantnagar and had plans to connect Delhi to Gorakhpur and Rajkot in January. These will have to be reworked as Alliance Air has only ATRs and CRJs in its fleet.

The directorate general of civil aviation on Monday approved the winter schedule, which will be effective by the end of October.