Domestic carriers to operate more flights in summer but fares unlikely to fall

While most major carriers have announced plans to increase flights in the upcoming summer schedule to capitalise on the growing domestic market, SpiceJet and Alliance Air have cut its weekly planned departures by 33.6 percent and 42 percent respectively, compared to last year.

Domestic airlines will operate more flights in the summer to cater to the growing demand arising out of school holidays and the festival season, which are normally travel-heavy periods.

As many as 25,610 weekly flights, 5.5 percent more than the previous year, will be operated during the summer schedule, which runs from March 31 to October 26.

With passenger traffic rising faster than flight additions, fares, which have been on the rise, are unlikely to fall, say experts as the rise in domestic air passenger traffic has seen a steeper growth. Domestic air passenger traffic rose 6.1 percent on year in 2024.

The number of weekly departures is just 2.4 percent higher than the 25,007 flights being operated in the ongoing winter schedule, data shared by aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows. Notably since October 2024, domestic air passenger traffic has grown 10.08 percent on year with 714.93 lakh passenger flying domestically in India between October 2024 and February 2025.

According to the schedule released by DGCA, India’s biggest airline IndiGo will operate the highest number of departures with 14,158 flights a week followed by Tata group-owned Air India at 4,310. SpiceJet, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Alliance Air will operate 1,240, 3,375, 1,089 and 520 weekly flights, respectively.

SpiceJet and Alliance Air, however, have cut their weekly departures by 33.6 percent and 42 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year. They will also operate fewer flights than they are in the ongoing winter schedule.

This is the third consecutive year that cash-strapped SpiceJet has reduced summer weekly departures. In 2024, it flew 26 percent fewer flights than the previous year, which, too, had seen a drop of 30 percent from 2022.

Getting summer-ready

IndiGo has increased its weekly flights by 8.5 percent from the year-ago period. Akasa Air plans to operate 20.6 percent more flights this summer.

The DGCA schedule shows that Air India plans to operate a 89.2 percent higher capacity or 2,032 more weekly flights and Air India Express 938 more flights compared to the year-ago period.

However, it must be noted that Air India's schedule includes flights previously operated under the Vistara and AirAsia India brands.

Following the merger of the two airlines into Air India in 2024, the flight numbers of Air India and Air India Express are not comparable to the 2024 winter and summer schedules.

The management has also realigned domestic and international flights between Air India and Air India Express to cater to different passenger segments.

All airlines under the Tata Group plan to operate 7,685 weekly flights, 646 per week more than the year-ago period.

The summer schedule has been approved for 129 airports, which includes Ambikapur, Datia, Bidar, Porbandar, Pakyaong, Rewa and Solapur which will begin operations this season. Flight operations at Azamgarh and Rupsi airports have been suspended. Last year, the schedule was approved for 110 airports.

Sequential change in flights

Compared to the winter schedule, which ends on March 30, domestic airlines will operate 2.4 percent more flights in summer.

IndiGo plans to operate 467, or 3.4 percent, more weekly flights in the summer than the winter schedule. Akasa Air plans to operate 100, or 10.1 percent, more weekly flights than it is doing now.

SpiceJet will operate 57 fewer weekly flights and Alliance Air 153, according to the DGCA data.

All Tata Group airlines plan to operate 7,685 weekly flights, 74 flights per week more than the winter schedule.

Small is big

Among the smaller carriers, Star Air shows the strongest growth with a 58.31 percent increase in weekly flights — from 319 last year to 505 this year.

Regional carrier Fly91, too, will increase its operations from just 20 weekly departures to 123 this summer, as it expands routes.

From July 1, the airlines will also implement new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, which include longer mandatory rest periods for better management of stress and fatigue among pilots.