No flights for 2 weeks, airlines lose Rs 308 cr

Chandigarh Airline operators in Chandigarh have incurred huge losses due to cancellation of flights for 14 days due to dense fog cover over the region.
The total average loss daily, of all the airlines operating from Chandigarh, is around Rs 22 crore. This daily loss if calculated for the 14-day period makes it Rs 308 crore, a huge blow to the industry.
The first flight after a period of 14 days took off from Chandigarh on Friday. Go-Air Airlines resumed its operations with the flight to Delhi, which was on its scheduled time. The aircraft took off with a load of 90 per cent, which according to airline officials was expected as operations were resumed after such a long period.
“This is one of the peak seasons in terms of traffic volume. The operational loss due to cancellation for such a long period has certainly affected the airline revenue. Earlier, with three flights operating daily, the average load used to be 150, which has been badly hit,” lamented the sales manager of one of the airlines.
Similar complaints came from other airlines with occupancy ranging from 70-80 per cent.
17/01/10 RituSharma/Express India

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010