More airlines do well on punctuality

IndiGo’s new ad talks about being ‘On Time’ and it seems part of a current trend. Five of the eight domestic scheduled airlines operating in the country registered above average On Time Performance (OTP) in May, according to figures released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

May was a positive one for the domestic airlines and saw high seat factors. There was an increase in the total passengers carried by 21.95 per cent, year on year, for the period between January to May this year. Total passengers carried by domestic scheduled airlines for May was 4.78 million, up from 4.19 million in April.

An analyst said, “The economy is growing and consumers are spending more. All this has translated into more people travelling and airlines have to gear up to provide better performance. With overall utilisation improving, the sector is definitely on an upswing. Carriers will have to improve on all aspects to keep up with competition.”

JetLite and Jet Airways, whose combination has the largest market share, of 26.2 per cent, are also the carriers with the highest OTP. While JetLite has recorded 89.9 per cent OTP, Jet Airways is right behind with 88.9 per cent. The only airlines which have a below average OTP are GoAir, with one per cent less than the average, at 81.3 per cent, followed by SpiceJet at 79.6 and the government’s Air India, at 66.4 per cent. May was a setback for AI due to the Mangalore tragedy and a strike by two of its unions.