New Delhi: In a first, Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) has asked airlines to cancel all domestic flights scheduled to touch down at and take off from IGI Airport between 10.30 am and 12.15 pm from January 18 to 26. While airspace over Delhi remains closed for 105 minutes daily during these nine days every year in the run-up to January 26 owing to heightened security and the Republic Day flypast, most of the flights scheduled to operate to and from the airport during the airspace closure hours are rescheduled. However, with no free slots available at IGIA, DIAL had to ask the airlines to cancel all these flights, the total number of which is expected to be nearly 1,000. However, international carriers have been requested to re-schedule their flights.
Airlines are clearly unhappy at the crippling infrastructure shortage at Delhi. Air India alone said DIAL has asked it to cancel seven departures and five arrivals. "We are taking up this matter with DIAL. How can we suddenly cancel flights like this?" said a senior AI official. Other airlines did not comment how many of their flights will be affected, but some of them hinted they would talk to DIAL over the issue. This winter, the airport's three runways are handling up to 73 scheduled flights an hour under its new slot management system called 'profile schedule'.
Accordingly, sources said the notice for airmen (NOTAM) issued by DIAL for cancelling flights between 10.30am and 12.15am could affect almost 100 flights every day. IGIA handles almost 1,100 flights daily, almost 10% reduction in flights during those nine days is likely to push up fares of the remaining ones due to the spurt in demand. However, the number of actual cancellations — which DIAL did not give despite repeated attempts — could be higher as NOTAM is for flights with a "buffer time of plus or minus 30 minutes".
This means flights with a scheduled arrival or departure time of 10.15am or 12.20pm will also be affected as it is possible their actual landing or takeoff time happens to be in the airspace closure period due to a delay on ground or early arrival.
06/01/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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Airlines are clearly unhappy at the crippling infrastructure shortage at Delhi. Air India alone said DIAL has asked it to cancel seven departures and five arrivals. "We are taking up this matter with DIAL. How can we suddenly cancel flights like this?" said a senior AI official. Other airlines did not comment how many of their flights will be affected, but some of them hinted they would talk to DIAL over the issue. This winter, the airport's three runways are handling up to 73 scheduled flights an hour under its new slot management system called 'profile schedule'.
Accordingly, sources said the notice for airmen (NOTAM) issued by DIAL for cancelling flights between 10.30am and 12.15am could affect almost 100 flights every day. IGIA handles almost 1,100 flights daily, almost 10% reduction in flights during those nine days is likely to push up fares of the remaining ones due to the spurt in demand. However, the number of actual cancellations — which DIAL did not give despite repeated attempts — could be higher as NOTAM is for flights with a "buffer time of plus or minus 30 minutes".
This means flights with a scheduled arrival or departure time of 10.15am or 12.20pm will also be affected as it is possible their actual landing or takeoff time happens to be in the airspace closure period due to a delay on ground or early arrival.
06/01/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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