Airlines Asked To Increase Number Of Flights As Fares Rise: Report

Aviation regulator DGCA or Directorate General of Civil Aviation has requested airlines to augment the number of flights, news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported quoting officials. The officials said the airlines were asked to bring an "immediate" and "medium-term" plan on the number of flights as airfares continue to rise, the agency reported.The move by DGCA comes amid rising competition among the airlines operating in the country's civil aviation market.

"With the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft and the continuing cancellation of flights by Jet Airways, the airfares have been rising. Therefore, the DGCA has been meeting with the airlines continuously so that they augment the additional capacity, which would be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule," a senior government official was quoted as saying in the PTI report.

For the last few weeks, the cash-strapped Jet Airways has been grounding its aircraft due to non-payment of dues to its lessors. On March 12, the DGCA had announced its decision to "immediately" ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that were being used by airlines in India.    

On March 10, a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people, including four Indians. 

Meanwhile, the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines in the first two months of 2019 grew 7.42 per cent compared to the corresponding period a year ago, according to data from the aviation regulator. That is significantly lower than an overall growth of 18.60 per cent registered in the number of passengers in 2018.