IndiGo to continue with Turkish Airlines codeshare: CEO Elbers
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Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Shrunk! July sees drop in flights across India
As the calendar turned from June to July, there was a sudden drop in domestic flights in India. Daily domestic flight operations fell below the 3,000 mark, while passenger numbers slid below 4 lakh. This comes a fortnight after Delhi Airport began work on runway 10/28, which had already led to a reduction in flight operations. The drop aligns with seasonal trends, as the July–August–September quarter is traditionally weaker for Indian aviation. Airlines often adjust capacity to match lower demand during this period, sending aircraft for scheduled checks at MRO facilities to ensure minimal downtime during the October–December quarter, which is typically a peak season for Indian skies. Data shared by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, exclusively for this article, shows that July will see 1159 fewer flights per week than June, with the first three days of the month seeing fewer than 3,000 flights a day, as shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on its website. While Air India came up with a reduction plan for 5 per cent of its schedule, most airlines have gone ahead with a cut in domestic schedule, with IndiGo's cuts being even higher than 5 per cent. The difference is that Air India has cut both domestic and international schedules, while IndiGo has moved capacity to international routes during the domestic lean times. The top-most route seeing a loss of flights is between Bengaluru and Goa, where 22 flights a week are being reduced, 14 by Air India Express and eight by IndiGo. This is followed by the Bengaluru-Kochi route, which sees a drop of 21 weekly flights. The third route to see a loss of flights is to Port Blair from Kolkata, which will see 18 fewer flights a week. There are a little over 300 sectors losing some frequencies each week. IndiGo is reducing 994 weekly flights on domestic routes in June compared to July. This is a whopping 7.6 per cent drop in departures and 6.9 per cent drop in seats on offer, translating into a 7 per cent drop in capacity by Available Seat Miles. However, the airline is adjusting capacity on international routes where it has progressively added capacity in June as well as July. The airline added 9.5 per cent more capacity by Available Seat Miles in June, with 6.1 per cent more seats on offer and 6.3 per cent additional weekly frequencies, which started with the Delhi runway closure and moved into July. Air India Express has also moved capacity to International routes, with flights to Jeddah from multiple points coming up in July. The airline sees a rise of 4.7 per cent in international departures, translating into an increase in Available Seat Miles by 6.5 per cent. The airline reduced 2.7 per cent of its total departures in July, translating into 10 departures a day on average. Air India is already shrinking between 5 per cent to 6 per cent in July, and it has gradually gone down since the second week of June. Even as airlines cut routes, there are a little over 100 routes which see additional frequencies in July. This includes routes to Hindon by IndiGo as it launches flights to Hindon in late July, along with the reinstatement of flights to Srinagar, which were pulled out in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in April. The industry had held on to the same schedule in July last year without any cuts. Not only are there steep cuts in July this year when compared to the previous month, but the Indian market, often touted as the fastest growing market, is seeing a drop of 567 weekly flights in July this year, compared to July 2024. The airlines have not had the April-June quarter (Q1-FY26) the way they would have anticipated. The schedule cuts are an indicator of trying to adjust the capacity more closely to the demand scenario for the weak season in the domestic segment. The sub-four lakh count of passengers might be worrying for analysts and the government, which has been hoping for a consistent over 5-lakh passengers per day; however, this could bode very well for the finances of the airlines, which are stretched by one way or another. There also remains the issue of passengers not wanting to fly post-Air India crash in Ahmedabad. Coupled with the lean season and an increased fuel price environment, this adds to the uncertainty for the airlines. The Independence Day weekend will be looked at by airlines with wide eyes to see how the traffic returns.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Next step in development of Indian aviation should be bigger airports: IndiGo CEO
New Delhi: As IndiGo launches long haul flights to the United Kingdom (Manchester) and Europe (Amsterdam), Pieter Elbers, chief executive officer (CEO) of India's largest airline, says in an interaction that the next step in the development of Indian aviation should be not adding new airports but having bigger, better and smoother ones. Edited excerpts: The CEO said that aviation benefits from a level playing field and equal opportunity. (AFP photo) How do you see the domestic market developing for IndiGo as you already have 65% market share? Don't you think some of the routes are already at saturation level? I look at a key metric-- seats per capita -- and compare it with the US, Europe, or China. All of them have significantly higher numbers. Even China, despite its lower seats per capita, has four times more seats than India. Given that, and considering projections that the Indian market will double between 2023 and 2030, a compounded annual growth rate of 10-11% doesn't seem unrealistic. We've committed to doubling our fleet in the same period. Whether you look at seats per capita or GDP-related metrics, it all points in the same direction. Of course, we see seasonal fluctuations; for example, last May was muted due to heatwaves and elections. But I don't focus on monthly DGCA numbers; we are on a long-term mission. Past growth confirms the trend. So, the long-term outlook is robust. For us, market share is an outcome, not an objective. What is your game plan in terms of addressing the Indian market? We operate four types of services. We operate out of the metros. One could argue that our hub operations, connectivity and metros are a significant part of the GDP of the country and that is both metro-to-metro as well as metro-to-non metro. So that's one bucket: metro to metro. The second bucket is the metro to non-metro. I would say metro-to-metro (connectivity) probably there's already so many flights that growth will be somewhat slower than the average. Where we have seen a lot of growth is the metro to non-metro. The third one is non-metro to non-metro. So these are Tier-II/III cities and we'll connect them. And the fourth one is the regional connectivity scheme, which are these ATR connections. As a percentage, that's relatively limited, but in terms of giving wings to the nation, connecting smaller communities is there, we'll continue to focus on these four areas going forward. And, I would say, the largest growth we have seen is from the metro to non-metro areas. Do you see scope for further expanding your regional aircraft fleet? Well, that's a constant process of evaluation. Today we have 46-47 ATRs out of the order of 50, so it's almost totally consumed. Some routes that used to be operated by ATRs have now matured and can operate with A320s, which frees up some ATRs to do other routes. There's a certain set of airports which are ATR-only, and we're evaluating what could be the next step. Again, I think the Indian landscape in terms of the number of airports is evolving. Today, IndiGo operates 91 domestic airports. We have added four recently and will add another four this year, taking it to 95. Today, 90% of the Indian population lives within 100 kilometres of an IndiGo-served airport. Of course, 100 kilometres in a hilly area isn't the same as between two metros, but the coverage is still quite good. So I think the next step in Indian aviation development is not per se many more airports. It's perhaps bigger, better and smoother airports. So I think perhaps a lot of emphasis will be on increasing the capacity of existing airports. With international expansion enabling both better connectivity for Indian consumers and progress towards India becoming a global aviation hub, what policy changes would you like to see from the government, such as improved visa regimes or incentives for stopovers on Indian carriers to support this ambition? I would be hesitant about stopover regimes linked specifically to Indian carriers, as I wouldn't want reciprocal restrictions abroad. Aviation benefits from a level playing field and equal opportunity. I believe our product and costs enable us to compete with others. For India, the next step is improving transfer connection facilities. IndiGo has been on a premiumisation journey -- introducing Stretch class or the business class -- for the past 7-8 months. How has been the response to the offering in terms of occupancy domestically? I wouldn't call it a premiumisation journey, because that would suggest our entire product portfolio is moving in that direction and that's not what we're doing. We have a foundation with 130 destinations, 500 domestic routes, and 100 international. On top of that, we introduced the Stretch product on a selective number of routes. Unlike some US airlines that introduced premium products across the network, we have kept it limited. For us, it's about catering to a select group of Indian consumers aspiring for that product, and preparing for long-haul operations. The response is dynamic. Some days loads are very good, others are low. Customers aren't yet sure if a flight will have Stretch or not. The Indian market is extremely price-sensitive, with many bookings coming at the last moment.
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Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Pilot medical test mandate by DGCA sparks concern in aviation sector
A recent directive issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding medical examinations for commercial pilots has triggered alarm within Indian airlines and among pilots, according to a report by The Economic Times. Last week, the civil aviation regulator mandated that all medical evaluations for commercial pilots must now be conducted exclusively at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Boarding Centres. This marks a reversal from the previous policy, which permitted these assessments to take place at private hospitals and with DGCA-approved medical examiners. Concerns over military-level standards and delays According to DGCA regulations, all pilots are required to undergo regular and comprehensive medical examinations. However, airline officials have reportedly expressed concern that the medical standards applied to military pilots are significantly more rigorous than those needed for commercial aviation. They argue that these elevated standards, coupled with the IAF's limited capacity, could potentially impact flight operations due to pilot shortages. Airline executives also reportedly warn that the heightened standards may result in a greater number of pilots being deemed medically unfit. This, in turn, could exacerbate the current pilot shortage and raise insurance costs for carriers. An official told The Economic Times that the philosophy and requirements for clearing pilots in the civil and defence sectors were fundamentally different, which is why all other countries had felt the need to separate civil aviation medical assessments from the military system. Commercial pilots criticise move Commercial pilots have voiced their opposition to the new rules, warning that this move could ground additional pilots at a time when the industry is already grappling with personnel shortages, Business Today reported. The Airline Pilots' Association of India (Alpa India) has highlighted logistical challenges, noting that there are currently only three IAF Boarding Centres across the country – located in Delhi, Jorhat, and Bengaluru. Pilots are also required to book appointments during their off-duty hours, adding to their burden. The DGCA has stated that the IAF Boarding Centres may request further investigations based on medical history and clinical examination in order to determine a pilot's fitness.
