DGCA to get after airlines jumping flight schedules

Mumbai: The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has identified 70 domestic flights that have not been adhering to their arrival slots, throwing Mumbai airport's flight schedule out of gear. It is being given to understand that the regulatory body will likely move against the erring airlines sometime next week.

Flights are usually allotted a standard time of arrival (STA) when the schedule is finalized and they are approved by the DGCA. But the erring carriers have not adjusted their flight schedules according to the sanctioned slots and have continued to arrive in Mumbai airspace before time, officials said.

Some, reportedly, arrived even an hour or two early, leaving Mumbai airspace choc-a-bloc with arriving flights in the evening peak hours, leading to massive delays.