Fewer flights on popular domestic routes this December because of maintenance issues

18 Nov 2022 , 03:29 PM

At the height of the Diwali rush on October 19, all flights on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor were fully booked. Similar circumstances may arise over the holiday season leading up to Christmas and New Year's, with most domestic airlines anticipating operating fewer flights due to the over 75 major carriers' aircraft grounded due to engine supply or maintenance concerns. 

In December, airlines have fewer flights planned on popular domestic routes like Delhi-Goa, Delhi-Srinagar, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Patna in addition to the major Delhi-Mumbai route. Due to the capacity shortage and high fuel costs brought on by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, ticket prices on these routes have increased by ranging from 13.7% to 155.6% for December.

More than 75 Indian carrier planes, or 10—12% of the fleet, were grounded on November 1 owing to maintenance and engine-related concerns, according to aviation consulting firm CAPA.

With 18,048 weekly flights, India's six major airlines. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium; IndiGo, Go First, SpiceJet, Vistara, Air India, and AirAsia India intend to collectively operate 6.4% fewer flights in December 2022 compared to the same time last year.
Goa is India's most popular holiday destination, yet this December, fewer flights to and from Goa were available.

Due to a delay in the delivery of engines by the US company Pratt and Whitney, more than 40% of Go First's fleet of aircraft is currently grounded, which has an influence on the carrier's timetable. In December, the airline intends to run 44.7% fewer services, with 1,229 domestic flights weekly.

Go First will run 92 weekly flights on the Delhi-Mumbai route in December as opposed to 122 weekly flights in December 2021. The airline has cut back on flights on the Delhi-Srinagar route by 36.2% for the month. For December, it has cut the number of flights on the Delhi—Kolkata route in half, to 14.

According to the information, IndiGo will run 0.3% fewer flights (10,255 weekly flights) in December despite having about 30 planes grounded owing to engine supply concerns. The number of flights on popular routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Srinagar, and Delhi-Goa was reduced in December of this year by approximately 5.9%, 40.2%, and 11.2%, respectively.

A drop of 26.1% from last year's 1,663 weekly domestic flights is planned for December by the financially troubled SpiceJet. According to Cirium's data, the airline has decreased the number of flights on routes like Delhi-Mumbai (by 25% less), Delhi-Srinagar (by 20.8% fewer), and Bengaluru-Kolkata (by 51.7% fewer).

Actually, the airline hasn't planned any flights this December on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Kolkata-Guwahati, and Hyderabad-Chennai routes.

Vistara will experience the most growth in domestic services in December among India's six main carriers. In December 2022, 1,669 flights per week are expected to be operated, an increase of 11.7% from the previous year.

In December 2022, the number of domestic flights to be operated by Air India and AirAsia India climbed by 3.6% and 11.2%, respectively, over the same month in the previous year.

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