New Delhi: Passengers are facing cash crunch spicejet Ltd. is facing the most flight disruptions in India, the world’s fastest growing aviation market.
With the busy summer travel season approaching, only 61% of SpiceJet flights departed on time from the country’s four largest airports – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad – in May, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. That’s down from an already trailing figure of nearly 70% in April, the agency’s data showed.
SpiceJet is not alone in operating around 250 flights per day. Indian water Ltd., the country’s second-largest carrier, slipped from second to fifth in terms of punctuality, with almost double the number of flights delayed in May than a month earlier. Akasaka Air, which launched less than a year ago, was the most punctual, although its performance has also fallen.
The frequent delays underscore the challenges of India’s post-pandemic boom in the highly competitive aviation market. Travel increases during the school holidays in May and June, and carriers struggle to keep pace. Some routes were in higher demand than usual after the bankrupt Go Airlines India Ltd stopped selling tickets in May, overburdening the country’s flight network.
rising demand
Domestic passenger traffic rose 15% to 13.2 million in May from a month ago. Meanwhile, airlines are grappling with a shortage of workers and aircraft after both were sidelined during the pandemic. A global issue with Pratt & Whitney engines is raising tensions with dozens of planes that normally serve the Indian market.
“There is a huge pressure on airlines to expand services,” said Harsh Vardhan, president of New Delhi-based Starair Consulting. “Traffic is suddenly back with a vengeance. But airlines are still in the process of streamlining operations.
The weather isn’t helping either and social media is abuzz with complaints.
Around 350 passengers of an Air India flight from London to New Delhi were stranded in Jaipur for hours in late June. While waiting for the weather to clear in the Indian capital, the pilot of the airline timed out after completing maximum working hours. A SpiceJet flight from Pune to Dubai was delayed by 10 hours. A school teacher in Bengaluru could not attend her uncle’s funeral as her AirAsia India flight was delayed.
For SpiceJet, deteriorating punctuality comes with financial challenges as well. It hasn’t made money for four years, has lost $40 billion in that period, and has delayed releasing results for its latest fiscal year. The budget carrier’s more than two dozen aircraft were grounded at the end of May, when its market share fell to 5.4% from 7.3% at the beginning of the year.
A spokesperson said, SpiceJet is working hard to continuously improve the performance on all aspects including our on-time performance.
recruitment boom
It’s not universally bad across India, with fewer flight delays than in other top aviation markets. According to data from FlightAware, around 15% of flight departures were delayed from January to June 20, compared with 30% in the UK and 20% in the US.
There are signs of improvement as airlines add staff and capacity. market leader indigoWhich placed a record order for 500 Airbus SE jets in June, plans to hire 5,000 workers in fiscal 2024. Air India will recruit over 4,200 cabin crew and 900 pilots, gearing up for fleet expansion following its order for 470 Airbuses. and jets from the Boeing Company. SpiceJet aims to introduce 10 additional Boeing 737 jets that it has leased by October.
heat stroke
It will take time for those efforts to bear fruit. Meanwhile, the summer season is exacerbating the supply crunch.
Sudden increases in demand often prompt carriers to press backup jets into service, leaving little in reserve in case of complications. And planes are at risk of breaking apart in hot temperatures. This, Vardhan said, could result in last-minute flight delays which could have been avoided otherwise.
“All these factors are cumulatively adding to the problem and last minute flight delays are becoming critical,” Vardhan said.
Things should be better next year, he said.
With the busy summer travel season approaching, only 61% of SpiceJet flights departed on time from the country’s four largest airports – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad – in May, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. That’s down from an already trailing figure of nearly 70% in April, the agency’s data showed.
SpiceJet is not alone in operating around 250 flights per day. Indian water Ltd., the country’s second-largest carrier, slipped from second to fifth in terms of punctuality, with almost double the number of flights delayed in May than a month earlier. Akasaka Air, which launched less than a year ago, was the most punctual, although its performance has also fallen.
The frequent delays underscore the challenges of India’s post-pandemic boom in the highly competitive aviation market. Travel increases during the school holidays in May and June, and carriers struggle to keep pace. Some routes were in higher demand than usual after the bankrupt Go Airlines India Ltd stopped selling tickets in May, overburdening the country’s flight network.
rising demand
Domestic passenger traffic rose 15% to 13.2 million in May from a month ago. Meanwhile, airlines are grappling with a shortage of workers and aircraft after both were sidelined during the pandemic. A global issue with Pratt & Whitney engines is raising tensions with dozens of planes that normally serve the Indian market.
“There is a huge pressure on airlines to expand services,” said Harsh Vardhan, president of New Delhi-based Starair Consulting. “Traffic is suddenly back with a vengeance. But airlines are still in the process of streamlining operations.
The weather isn’t helping either and social media is abuzz with complaints.
Around 350 passengers of an Air India flight from London to New Delhi were stranded in Jaipur for hours in late June. While waiting for the weather to clear in the Indian capital, the pilot of the airline timed out after completing maximum working hours. A SpiceJet flight from Pune to Dubai was delayed by 10 hours. A school teacher in Bengaluru could not attend her uncle’s funeral as her AirAsia India flight was delayed.
For SpiceJet, deteriorating punctuality comes with financial challenges as well. It hasn’t made money for four years, has lost $40 billion in that period, and has delayed releasing results for its latest fiscal year. The budget carrier’s more than two dozen aircraft were grounded at the end of May, when its market share fell to 5.4% from 7.3% at the beginning of the year.
A spokesperson said, SpiceJet is working hard to continuously improve the performance on all aspects including our on-time performance.
recruitment boom
It’s not universally bad across India, with fewer flight delays than in other top aviation markets. According to data from FlightAware, around 15% of flight departures were delayed from January to June 20, compared with 30% in the UK and 20% in the US.
There are signs of improvement as airlines add staff and capacity. market leader indigoWhich placed a record order for 500 Airbus SE jets in June, plans to hire 5,000 workers in fiscal 2024. Air India will recruit over 4,200 cabin crew and 900 pilots, gearing up for fleet expansion following its order for 470 Airbuses. and jets from the Boeing Company. SpiceJet aims to introduce 10 additional Boeing 737 jets that it has leased by October.
heat stroke
It will take time for those efforts to bear fruit. Meanwhile, the summer season is exacerbating the supply crunch.
Sudden increases in demand often prompt carriers to press backup jets into service, leaving little in reserve in case of complications. And planes are at risk of breaking apart in hot temperatures. This, Vardhan said, could result in last-minute flight delays which could have been avoided otherwise.
“All these factors are cumulatively adding to the problem and last minute flight delays are becoming critical,” Vardhan said.
Things should be better next year, he said.