Domestic carriers to operate 1,400 more flights this winter

Domestic carriers have sought permission to fly over 1,400 additional flights per week during the forthcoming winter months, which are 11.3 per cent higher than the flights operated by the carriers in the ongoing summer schedule, DGCA sources said today.
The winter schedule of the Indian airlines commences from the last Sunday of October while the summer schedule starts from the last Sunday of March.
Eleven domestic carriers together including the newly launched regional carrier Air Pegasus have sought clearance to operate 13,951 flights a week during the winters as against a total of 12,533 during the current summer schedule, the sources said.

On a year-on-year basis, the increase in the number of flights amounts to 13.37 per cent as the carriers had operated 12,305 flights during the last winter.
Of these, Tata-SIA joint venture carrier Vistara, which launched air services in January this year and operated 175 flights a week in the ongoing summer schedule, has sought nearly 100 per cent increase during the period.
Besides, budget carrier AirAsia India, which is at present operating 168 flights per week, plans to add as many as 224 flights in its network during winters, the sources said.

As against this, national carrier Air India plans to scale down its operations marginally to 1,705 flights during the period as against 1,718 flights a week being operated currently, the sources said.

The sources also said that while Jet Airways and budget carriers SpiceJet have proposed to add 471 flights during this period, largest domestic airline by market share IndiGo plan to add 68 flights a week in its network during the winter schedule.
Kazi Nazrul Islam airport in Durgapur in West Bengal and Kadapa airport in Andhra Pradesh are the two new airports that will be added during the winter schedule, they said.
Developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL), Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport is India's first operational private greenfield airport under the country's Greenfield Airport Policy and started commercial operations in May this year.

Similarly, flight operations from Kadapa airport commenced in June.