SpiceJet opposes regulator's move to review on time performance

Airline executives to meet the Director General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday

SpiceJet is going to protest to the aviation regulator on the latter’s decision to re-measure the punctuality statistics.

Its executives will meet B S Bhullar, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Tuesday in this regard.

SpiceJet recently gave full-page advertisements in the print media, claiming to be the best airline in terms of punctuality.

However, market leader IndiGo contended the process of computation was prone to fudging. It wrote to the DGCA’s office that there was an inconsistency between the On-Time Performance (OTP) data from the Mumbai airport and that from Airport Collaborative Decision Making. The latter is a joint venture between International Air Transport Association and Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation; it provides real-time data to airport operators and airlines.

DGCA then ordered a probe. Last week, Bhullar told Business Standard a committee had been appointed to probe for possible discrepancies in the OTP of airlines. The review will be completed by next month.

A senior SpiceJet executive said IndiGo's complaint seemed a case of sour grapes.

“We are going to meet the regulator against the move. The data collection system at airports like Mumbai has been in place for many years,” said the executive. “Tomorrow, if an airline questions the passenger traffic data, will the DGCA constitute a committee to investigate that, too?”

Adding: “As long as IndiGo had the best OTP, the mechanism to calculate on-time performance by the DGCA and an airport was perfect. As long as you were Number 1, the mechanism was fine; now, it is flawed. These are clear double standards.”

DGCA publishes monthly data on the Indian airlines. This is based on data from the top four airports -- Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Among other things, it gives a picture on the performance in terms of punctuality.

Asked, a SpiceJet spokesperson did not formally comment on the specific issue but said, “(We) have ensured maintaining impeccable operational standards even in harsh weather conditions, to continuously emerge as the best airline in OTP.”

An IndiGo spokesperson declined to comment on the issue.

Airlines use OTP data for branding purposes. In a market like in India, with intense competition, the punctuality measure of an airline is a key factor in many a passenger’s choices.