About 12,983 weekly domestic flights of airlines have been granted permission by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the winter schedule that starts on Sunday and ends on March 27, 2021.
This year it is 44 per cent fewer domestic flights than last winter. The aviation regulator had approved 23,307 weekly domestic flights in last year’s winter schedule.
Presently, airlines in India are permitted to run a maximum of only 60 per cent of pre-COVID weekly domestic flights.
On Sunday, the DGCA announced that 6,006 weekly domestic flights of IndiGo have been approved to operate for this year’s winter schedule. IndiGo is India’s largest airline.
SpiceJet and GoAir have got 1,957 weekly domestic flights and 1,203 weekly domestic flights approved, the regulator said.
For last year’s winter schedule, 23,307 weekly domestic services were approved by the DGCA, while this year’s winter schedule has got just 55.7 per cent which is 12,983 flights of those flights approved, according to the aviation regulator.
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The DGCA said 55.7 per cent flights will be operating from 95 Indian airports between October 25 and March 27, next year.
After a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic and countrywide lockdown that imposed travel restrictions, India resumed scheduled domestic flights on May 25. During those 2 months, airlines were permitted to operate only 33 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. These numbers were gradually increased in the later months.