With Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) writing to the the civil aviation ministry regarding non-availability of slots in overseas locations despite having flying rights, the government plans to take up the matter with other countries to ensure that domestic carriers get adequate slots.
Indian carriers are able to utilise a mere half of the seats operated by foreign carriers to and from India, as per latest data available with the aviation ministry. While foreign carriers offer 4,32,456 seats a week on flights to and from India, the home-grown carriers manage to fly only 2,42,365 seats. Utilisation of traffic rights by Indian carriers is low due to a number of reasons such as lack of availability of slots, timing of available slots not suiting the airlines, commercially unviable routes and companies not having adequate aircraft for long haul flights.
Flights cannot operate unless both rights and slots are given. While rights are given by the sovereign, slots are non-sovereign subject in the sense that this is a matter between the airline and the airport operator, civil aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said, when asked about local airlines facing problems of not getting adequate slots despite having the rights.
08/06/16 Sunny Verma/Indian Express
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
Indian carriers are able to utilise a mere half of the seats operated by foreign carriers to and from India, as per latest data available with the aviation ministry. While foreign carriers offer 4,32,456 seats a week on flights to and from India, the home-grown carriers manage to fly only 2,42,365 seats. Utilisation of traffic rights by Indian carriers is low due to a number of reasons such as lack of availability of slots, timing of available slots not suiting the airlines, commercially unviable routes and companies not having adequate aircraft for long haul flights.
Flights cannot operate unless both rights and slots are given. While rights are given by the sovereign, slots are non-sovereign subject in the sense that this is a matter between the airline and the airport operator, civil aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said, when asked about local airlines facing problems of not getting adequate slots despite having the rights.
08/06/16 Sunny Verma/Indian Express
