IndiGo seeks SpiceJet support on Delhi airport terminal issue

With the Delhi airport operator asking them to partially shift their operations from terminal 1, IndiGo has written to competitor SpiceJet listing out options and seeking its support to resolve the issues.
The no-frills carrier has proposed that SpiceJet and GoAir shift their entire operations from terminal 1 (T1) to terminal 2 (T2), as per a letter written by IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh to SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh.
IndiGo, which has expressed unwillingness to comply with the proposal, has also suggested that the airport operator DIAL should look at re-organising operations of all airlines so that each can run complete operations from one terminal.

Currently, flights operate from T1 and terminal 3 (T3).
"DIAL should permit IndiGo to continue to run its entire operation out of T1 and move the entire operations of SpiceJet and Go Air to T2. We believe that T2 has adequate capacity to accommodate all passengers of SpiceJet as well as of Go Air," the letter said.
Ghosh, who is also a Whole Time Director, said the airline was willing to shift all its operations to T2 if "a solution can be found for...adequate night parking bays", adding that T2 capacity is not adequate to accommodate all of IndiGo's passengers.

Faced with capacity constraints, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has asked IndiGo and SpiceJet to shift part of their operations from T1 to T2 -- a proposal which has not found favour with the airlines.

Against this backdrop, Ghosh has suggested that entire operations of SpiceJet and GoAir could be shifted to T2 for such period of time till that terminal has adequate infrastructure for IndiGo, as per the contents of the letter seen by PTI.
IndiGo can then move its entire operations to T2 while GoAir and SpiceJet can move back to T1, it added.
Raising concerns over DIAL's directive, Ghosh said shifting only a part of operations from T1 would inconvenience passengers as well as impact efficiency and increase costs.

Such a move would also be "an anti-competitive action against IndiGo as well as SpiceJet," he said in the letter.
A partial shifting of operations would "isolate" and place the airlines at a "competitive disadvantage" because of inconvenience to passengers, especially those with connecting flights.
Meanwhile, according to sources, GoAir has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry today expressing willingness to move its entire operation to T2 with effect from October 29.
On the shifting issue, Ghosh held a meeting with Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey on Wednesday. Query seeking comments on the issue sent to Choubey remained unanswered.

IndiGO, which enjoys nearly 40 per cent of the market share, says a third of its fleet is based out of Delhi. It operates total 1,070 weekly flights to and from T1 and handles approximately 1,80,000 connecting passengers at Delhi.
Three airlines -- IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir -- operate from T1, which handled 24 million passengers in 2016-17, whereas its rated capacity is 20 million passengers per annum.
T3 is used by international carriers as well as Air Asia India, Vistara and Jet Airways. International flights of IndiGo and SpiceJet also operate from T3.
DIAL plans to upgrade T2 to meet the growing passenger numbers. The capacity of T1 would be doubled from 20 million to 40 million passengers and the capacity of T3 would be increased from 34 million to 45 million, as per the master plan.