1 in every 3 flights from metro airports delayed in November: DGCA

One of every three domestic flights at the country’s four metro airports (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai) was delayed in November, data released by the Directorate

One of every three domestic flights at the country’s four metro airports (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai) was delayed in November, data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently revealed.

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The data shows that the overall on-time performance (OTP) of airlines did not exceed more than 67.6%, with Mumbai seeing the lowest OTP among the airports. GoAir flew 67.6% of their flights on time, compared to IndiGo (66.2%), SpiceJet (56.2%), Air Asia (66.7%), Vistara (67.4%), and Air India (42%). The DGCA releases monthly OTP data of only domestic flights operated by Indian carriers at metro airports.

Arun Kumar, directorate general of DGCA blamed weather conditions for the delay. “We witnessed poor weather due to smog,” he said. However, he did not comment on if the regulator had issued any directives to the airlines due to poor OTP.

Sudhakara Reddy, president of Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) said, “A small part of the cumulative reason for the poor OTP can be attributed to Mumbai’s unseasonal rains and Delhi’s fog. But one of the main reasons for the OTP is that the airlines have been adding aircraft and increasing their fleet size while the crew size remains the same.”

A senior Delhi-based DGCA official pointed out that smog is not unusual in Delhi in November. “In the same month last year [2018], the minimum OTP at four metro airports was a minimum of 64% and maximum of 87%. Hence, weather cannot be blamed for the major amount of flight delays that directly cause inconvenience to passengers. The airlines need to work on finding the cause and solution for major flight delays,” he said.

Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer (CEO) of aviation consultant agency CAPA (India), said, “Leading airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet faced operational challenges due to aircraft-related disruptions during that period, but it is pertinent to say that the overall OTP is significantly below expectations.”