INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
delays in May as a month earlier
Akasa Air, launched less than a year ago, was the most on-time, though its performance also slipped.Frequent delays underscore the
Travel surges during the school holidays in May and June, and carriers struggled to keep pace
Demand for some routes was higher than normal after the insolvent Go Airlines India Ltd
15% to 13.2 million in May from the month earlier
The airlines, meanwhile, are dealing with shortages of workers and planes after both were sidelined during the pandemic
A global issue with Pratt - Whitney engines is adding to the tension by grounding dozens of planes that normally serve the Indian market
complaints.Some 350 Air India passengers en route to New Delhi from London spent hours stranded in Jaipur at the end of June
A SpiceJet flight from Pune to Dubai departed 10 hours late
comes hand-in-hand with financial challenges
Some 15% of flight departures were delayed from January through June 20, compared with 30% in the UK and 20% in the US, according to data
obtained from FlightAware
There are signs of improvement as airlines add staff and capacity
Market leader IndiGo, which placed a record order for 500 Airbus SE jets in June, plans to hire 5,000 workers in fiscal 2024
Air India will recruit more than 4,200 cabin crew and 900 pilots as it gears up for a fleet expansion, following its order of 470 Airbus and
SpiceJet aims to introduce 10 additional Boeing 737 jets that it has leased by October.Heat strokeIt will take time for those efforts to pay
In the meantime, the summer season is exacerbating supply woes
The sudden spike in demand often prompts carriers to put backup jets into service, leaving fewer in reserve in the event of complications
And planes are prone to wear and tear in hot temperatures
Things should be better next year, he said
