Clearing pending demands of Indian carriers at one go, the aviation ministry has allotted nearly 15,000 additional seats to Indian airlines for Dubai.
This comes close on the heels of approvals for six new airlines, which had been pending approval for long. India-Dubai is one of the most sought after routes, which sees very high load factors for airlines operating on the sector.
Over 7,000 seats have been allotted to Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo from different Indian cities. Another 6,500 seats have been re-allocated to SpiceJet, according to a July 25 order of the ministry.
SpiceJet got 5,208 seats for Dubai from Amritsar, Mumbai, Mangalore and Ahmedabad, Jet Airways 1,176 weekly Mumbai-Dubai seats, and IndiGo 1,260 Bangalore-Dubai seats.
Another 6,615 seats per week have been re-allocated to Kalanithi Maran-led SpiceJet.
Aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati and Secretary Ashok Lavasa have been fast-tracking clearances, which has brought cheer to the industry. “Quick clearances seem to be becoming the norm at aviation ministry. A supportive government and absence of red-tape will be a big boost,” said Subhash Goyal, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators.