NEW DELHI: Airlines do not have spare aircraft to take up the 10% of slots cut from IndiGo’s domestic network, industry sources said, even as the aviation regulator issued directions asking other carriers to operate those slots.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued an order asking other airlines to take up the slots dropped from IndiGo’s domestic operations, ministry sources said. However, airlines contacted said they did not have spare capacity to comply with the directive.
IndiGo’s slots in the winter schedule, which runs until March 28, were cut by the ministry after the airline was found unable to manage operations smoothly. As a result, 214 daily flights were dropped from IndiGo’s domestic network of 2,145 flights a day.
The order, issued by the regulator on behalf of the ministry, asked airlines to submit their preferred slots to airports, a ministry source said. While the regulator declined to comment, airlines said the conditions attached were stringent.
Under the conditions, airlines cannot divert aircraft from existing routes and are permitted to deploy only spare aircraft to operate the additional slots.
According to Air India’s website, the airline has a fleet of 185 aircraft. However, sources said all of them are currently deployed across various routes.
A senior government official told this reporter, “Where are the aircraft with other airlines to exploit these slots?”