IndiGo is in talks with the government to reduce cancellations to and from Mumbai airport, sources told CNBC-TV18 on Thursday, February 15.
In talks with #government to reduce cancellations to and from Mumbai airport. In talks with government to reduce cancellations to and from Mumbai airport: @IndiGo6E sources to @Daanish_Anand #IndiGo #MumbaiAirport pic.twitter.com/FoYonDzvWm
— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) February 15, 2024
This comes after the Union Civil Aviation Ministry on February 12 said that flight restrictions have been imposed at the Mumbai airport to ease congestion, caused by various factors, including non-scheduled flight operations during peak hours.
The airport is operated by Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL).
The ministry said the airport operator should have proactively taken steps to streamline and regulate the air traffic movements to address the congestion issue. However, since no such action was initiated by the airport operator, the ministry said it has had to step in.
While Mumbai airport is running at its full capacity, the ministry said it was found that the persistent congestion was caused due to "excessive slot distribution with limited time margins on behalf of the airport operator", non-adherence of the slots on behalf of the airlines, and non-scheduled operations during peak hours.
On January 2, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), being the air navigation service provider, issued directives to the airport operator to restrict air traffic movements during the HIRO (High-Intensity Runway Operations) period from 46 to 44 per hour.
In the non-HIRO period, the air traffic movements were restricted to 42 from 44. HIRO periods are from 0800- 1100 hours, 1700-2000 hours, and 2115-2315 hours.
"General aviation aircraft operations during the HIRO period have also been restricted. It is expected that MIAL should take immediate action to ensure that all airlines are on board with the prescribed restrictions," the statement said.
The ministry noted that the action has been taken in larger public interest from the perspective of airspace safety, efficiency of operations and passenger satisfaction.
According to the statement, Mumbai Airport suffers from congestion and excess capacity on its runways, which inadvertently leads to air space congestion, whereby flights are forced to hover over the city for a long duration of around 40-60 minutes.
"Considering that an aircraft on an average consumes 2,000 kg of fuel per hour, such long duration circling time, causes significant wastage of fuel for the aircraft ranging from 1.7 kilolitres of jet fuel (approximately costing around ₹1.8 lakh) for 40 minutes circling time in the air to around 2.5 kilolitres of jet fuel (approximately costing around ₹2.6 lakh) for 60 minutes circling time.
"It is to be understood that such an increase in fuel cost would eventually be borne by the consumers. This also has a cascading effect on the efficiency of airport operations leading to a longer wait time, inordinate delays, affecting both passengers and airlines adversely," the statement said.
Further, the statement said the government realises that it needs to step in to strike a balance between the needs of both the airport operators and airlines while ensuring that passengers have a fulfilling experience while flying from Mumbai airport.
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
First Published: Feb 15, 2024 8:41 PM IST
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
In Ayodhya, voters talk of a promise fulfilled and yearning for development
May 17, 2024 2:10 PM
Fight of heavyweights in Sambalpur where farmers, weavers hold the key
May 17, 2024 12:25 PM
Odisha: Fight of heavyweights in Sambalpur where farmers, weavers hold the key
May 17, 2024 10:22 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024: What rural Delhi wants
May 16, 2024 10:10 PM