5.10.16

21% more flights this winter


Domestic air travellers will be spoilt for choice this winter. Airlines will operate 21% more flights this year than last winter, carrying forward the low-fare bonanza announced by them in this peak travel season. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved a winter schedule, which remains in force from October-end to March-end, of 16,600 weekly domestic flights. This figure was at 13,744 during last winter. India's domestic air travel is the fastest growing in the world at 23% thanks to low oil prices enabling airlines to offer cheap fares and luring passengers to the sky . For flyers, the increase in flights will mean low fares even in the peak travel season.
With airlines adding planes, filling them up will mean offering mouth-watering fares to passengers.
These offers are likely to continue as some airlines grow wings. Among `old' airlines, IndiGo has been adding planes at a frantic pace and now has close to 120 Airbus A-320s in its fleet.This low cost carrier will have 6,276 weekly domestic flights this winter -up 42% from last winter's figure of 4,411. Among new airlines, Tata-Singapore Airlines JV Vistara will have almost 50% more flights this time than last winter.


No comments: