OTP issue: SpiceJet CMD meets DGCA

Budget carrier SpiceJet's Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh today met DGCA chief B S Bhullar, amid on-going slug fest between IndiGo and the rest of the peer group over on-time performance (OTP) issue.
Singh, during his meeting with Bhullar, raised the issue of Directorate General of Civil Aviation setting up of a panel to review airlines' OTP mechanism at four airports following IndiGo's complaint of the system being "flawed", particularly at the GVK-run Mumbai airport, sources said.
"Singh expressed serious concern over the setting up of a committee to look into the OTP mechanism following a complaint by an airline since the data collection system at airports like Mumbai has been in place for many years," they said.

Significantly, IndiGo's OTP from four airports has been on a decline for some time now, with the carrier standing fourth after rival SpiceJet, full service carriers Vistara and Jet Airways in November with its worst performance coming in from Mumbai airport, from where only 58.5 per cent of its flights were on time.
Experts have attributed this sharp decline in IndiGo's OTP from four airports largely to its expanding operations.
Significantly, IndiGo has added as many as 19 aircraft between since April last year. It operates over 900 flights every day pan-India.

However, the number of employees it has added during this period could not immediately be known.

After recording a poor 58.4 per cent OTP from Mumbai airport, the airline was quick to approach the civil aviation regulator pointing out "flaws" in the very system and asking for a review of the entire mechanism.
"The DGCA has assured Singh that it will carry out a fair evaluation (of the process) and that airline representatives will also be included in the committee formed to look into the OTP issue," they said.
When contacted, an IndiGo spokesperson said the airline has only pointed out "discrepancy" in the OTP data that it has come across.
"We have provided evidence of the same to the DGCA," the spokesperson said.