Chennai: There could be more early morning flights from the city airport as SpiceJet is looking at increasing the number of planes that will be parked at the airport to fly early morning schedules.
Ajay Singh, chairman, SpiceJet, said that the airline has asked for more parking slots as there was scope for fleet expansion in the south and to small towns.
"We have asked for six parking bays at Chennai. The airport is also expanding the airside capacity. The routes will be decided later," he added. “Airside” capacity is the number of landings and takeoffs an airport can accommodate in an hour. Spicejet currently has 16 aircraft parked overnight at the airport.
The airport now has 46 domestic flights in the 4am to 8.30am window. IndiGo has the maximum number of planes parked overnight and operates around 26 flights in that window, while SpiceJet operates 11 flights in the same window.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is also expanding its airside capacity by adding more parking bays, rapid exit taxiways, straightening of taxiways connecting runways so that more planes can be operated.
"The idea to allow airlines to park planes at night is to have more early morning flights. The planes will be used to fly multiple sectors before they return at night for parking. This means the airport will get more morning flights and also a few more evening flights. Once the airside capacity augmentation work is over, we can encourage airlines to build a base here,” said an AAI official.
If airlines park more planes overnight at the airport, including small 70-seater ATR types, there will be more flights to smaller cities too.
14/02/20 V Ayyappan/Yimes of India
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Ajay Singh, chairman, SpiceJet, said that the airline has asked for more parking slots as there was scope for fleet expansion in the south and to small towns.
"We have asked for six parking bays at Chennai. The airport is also expanding the airside capacity. The routes will be decided later," he added. “Airside” capacity is the number of landings and takeoffs an airport can accommodate in an hour. Spicejet currently has 16 aircraft parked overnight at the airport.
The airport now has 46 domestic flights in the 4am to 8.30am window. IndiGo has the maximum number of planes parked overnight and operates around 26 flights in that window, while SpiceJet operates 11 flights in the same window.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is also expanding its airside capacity by adding more parking bays, rapid exit taxiways, straightening of taxiways connecting runways so that more planes can be operated.
"The idea to allow airlines to park planes at night is to have more early morning flights. The planes will be used to fly multiple sectors before they return at night for parking. This means the airport will get more morning flights and also a few more evening flights. Once the airside capacity augmentation work is over, we can encourage airlines to build a base here,” said an AAI official.
If airlines park more planes overnight at the airport, including small 70-seater ATR types, there will be more flights to smaller cities too.
14/02/20 V Ayyappan/Yimes of India
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