NEW DELHI: Once bitten, twice shy. The summer schedule that came into effect from Sunday has about 12% less domestic flights than last summer, primarily because aviation authorities were conservative in clearing IndiGo projections.While the airline projected getting a plane every week, the authorities asked the country’s largest carrier to file for flights when it gets more planes and can show it has the wherewithal, including pilot numbers, for the same. “We did not want a repeat of what happened last Dec and hence were extra cautious this time,” said a person in the know.Almost all airlines filed reduced domestic flights for this summer compared with last year. “We were of the view that IndiGo should not go overboard again. We will keep revising the number as and when they can show the ability to operate more flights,” the person added.Last summer, DGCA had approved a schedule for 25,610 weekly domestic flights — up 5.5% from 2024 summer’s 24,275. This time, the number is expected to be lower by about 3,000 or 12%. IndiGo’s schedule was for 14,158 weekly domestic flights last summer.The aviation ministry is, however, aware that the elephant in the room is not the approved schedule but operating costs for airlines in terms of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) pricing and a crashing rupee that will determine fares. Setting fares very high will mean demand taking a hit and fewer flights being required by well-funded airlines. The financially weak airlines will also find it hard to operate at these cost levels. The monthly ATF price revision for April is expected to see a significant hike.
