Air India, SpiceJet to Add 170 Daily Flights as Govt Cuts IndiGo’s Schedule by 10%

A day after IndiGo was asked to cut its scheduled flights, its rivals have announced the deployment of additional flights for the winter demand.

SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh on Wednesday said that the airline is stepping in to assist passengers hit by current crisis by operating 100 additional flights in the coming days. Last week, a nationwide flight cancellations by IndiGo left thousands of passengers stranded across multiple airports.

"We are witnessing strong and growing demand across key routes this winter, and look forward to ramping up operations to ensure adequate capacity in India’s aviation market," SpiceJet said in a statement.

The announcement came just a day after the low cost carrier said it has inducted two Boeing 737 aircraft into its fleet.

Meanwhile, Tata Group owned Air India is planning to add 60-70 flights per day, a CNBC-TV18 report claimed. The airline also plans to support travellers by deploying aircraft certified with CAT III B at key airports that are prone to fog-related disruptions to ensure minimal impact on operations.

With IndiGo scaling back its flight schedule, there’s currently a shortfall of 230 flights. If SpiceJet and Air India get the approval then it could cover 170 of these daily flights.

On December 9, the DGCA ordered IndiGo to cut its flight schedule by 10% to stabilise operations, which have been severely disrupted by the rollout of the second phase of the new pilot flight duty norms by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Following this, a report by the Economic Times claimed that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) may conduct a preliminary review of IndiGo to assess whether the country’s largest airline, which holds 65% of India’s aviation market, has violated antitrust rules, particularly by abusing its market dominance through service curbs or unfair conditions for passengers.

Additionally, Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu warned that strict action could be taken against IndiGo, including the possible removal of CEO Pieter Elbers, "if necessary."

The IndiGo crisis is allegedly linked to the airline’s inability to fully implement the DGCA’s new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms. These rules mandate longer weekly rest periods for pilots (48 hours instead of 36) and stricter limits on night landings (two instead of six).

The aviation regulator introduced the updated duty norms nearly two years ago to align India with global standards, with airlines required to adopt them in two phases, June and November this year

While other major carriers, including Air India, have confirmed compliance, IndiGo has acknowledged that it has not been able to fully implement the changes on time.