Indian airlines to operate 44% fewer domestic flights than pre-COVID-19 times this winter

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday, October 25 has approved 44 per cent fewer departures in winter schedule 2020-21 as compared to previous year amid COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, DGCA approved 12,983 domestic flights every week for winter schedule that comes into effect on Sunday and ends on March 27, 2021. However, just last year, aviation regulator had approved over 23,300 weekly domestic flights.

IndiGo, which is largest Indian airline, will operate 6,006 domestic flights every week this winter. Meanwhile, for SpiceJet and GoAir, that have 1,957 weekly domestic flights, DGCA has only approved 1,203 of m. Presently, with COVID-19 restrictions, airlines in India are only allowed to operate up to 60 per cent of actual flights.

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55.7% flights will be working from 95 airports

Comparing winter schedule of 2020-21 with 2019-20, aviation regulator ted that this year has only got 55.7 per cent of weekly domestic flights approved last year, that was, 23,307. DGCA said on Sunday that se flights would run from 95 Indian airports between October 25 and March 27, next year. India had resumed scheduled domestic flights only on May 25 after being shut for nearly two months in wake of global health crisis that took a drastic toll on tourism industry. At that time, aviation regulator had only permitted operation of 33 per cent of ir pre-COVID-19 flights. This figured, gradually increased through weeks and has w reached 55.7 per cent. 

se 55.7 per cent flights will be operating from 95 Indian airports between October 25 and March 27, 2021, DGCA said.

Read - DGCA Approves 12,983 Weekly Domestic Flights In Winter Schedule

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday, October 22 said that India decided to limit foreign carriers’ n-scheduled cargo flights to major cities only to provide equal opportunity to domestic airlines at a time when COVID-19 pandemic had taken a toll ion aviation sector. On September 18, DGCA had said that foreign carriers can only operate ir unscheduled cargo flights to and from only six major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

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(With PTI inputs)

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