267 flight slots left unused by domestic airlines
25 Nov 2011
New Delhi: India's domestic carriers have left 267 flight slots unused out of the total of 1,900 slots granted to them for the ongoing winter schedule. This was stated by civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Wednesday.
"We have found that in total, there are 267 slots unused by airlines out of the total of 1,910 slots allotted in the winter schedule," a senior official of the DGCA said.
The regulator has now asked airports to submit proposals on how to utilise the vacant slots. "We have asked them (airports) to submit a report on how to utilise the vacant slots," the official said.
Officials said a decision to transfer unused slots to other carriers would be taken by the end of the week.
In the wake of mass cancellations by Kingfisher, which threw domestic air services in disarray, the DGCA said it had begun monitoring flight operations of all airlines and the use of slots allotted to them.
"We are reviewing the slot position as well. Every airline is bound by route dispersal guidelines and the government will take a decision on it," EK Bharat Bhushan, director general of civil aviation, told reporters on the sidelines of an industry event here.
The DGCA had issued a notice to all the three airlines regarding flight cancellations. It later said it has received the replies from all three.