INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
fewer flight choices as several airlines cancel operations due to a number of reasons including the grounding of 737-MAX aircraft.According
planes now grounded due to various factors, reduction in seat capacity has led to an increase in fares overnight
Last minute airfares on Wednesday increased to more than 100 per cent on some key routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai, Mumbai-Kolkata
and Mumbai-Bengaluru as compared to same time last year," said Aloke Bajapi, CEO and co-founder, ixigo."Spot fares for Mumbai-Chennai are
touching Rs 26,073 as opposed to Rs 5,369 the same time last year
High airfare patterns are expected to continue in the short term with Holi and summer school holidays round the corner, resulting in an
increased demand."Operations of airlines like SpiceJet and Jet Airways have been hit due to the government's Wednesday decision to join a
global grounding of 737-MAX aircraft following a crash in Ethiopia.SpiceJet and Jet Airways operate 17 Boeing 737-800 MAX aircraft - Spice
A part of Jet fleet has already been grounded due to other reasons.The grounding led SpiceJet to cancel 14 flights on Wednesday
This number is expected to touch 32 on Thursday.Apart from SpiceJet, Jet Airways, which faces financial challenges, has already grounded
were grounded in February over non-repayment of dues to lessors, while 13 aircraft were grounded this month, taking the total to 32
including lack of spare parts.IndiGo faces massive turbulence of pilot shortage, leading to truncated flight schedule.Earlier, the airline
said that 30 of its flights which have been affected represent only 2 per cent of its network
curtailment until the end of March
This measure has already been implemented and passengers informed," the airline said in a statement."These medium term cancellations have
been made to minimise the impact on passengers as alternative travel options have been offered well in advance
The operations will be normalised by the start of the summer schedule."For sometime now, Air India has grounded 17 aircraft due to technical
reasons.On Wednesday, the government had advised domestic airlines not to go in for predatory air fare pricing as several 737-MAX aircraft
were grounded due to safety reasons.Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said: "We have advised the airlines that they should not
DGCA has just said that it will be monitoring all the sectors very closely."Get the latest election news, live updates and election schedule
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