Tag Archives: DGCA

Effective August 1 , 2016, an airline will have to pay up to Rs 10,000 to a flyer in the case of cancelling/delaying a flight beyond two hours, while the compensation for not allowing a passenger to board the flight stands at up to Rs 20,000, according to DGCA. Previously, the compensation under both circumstances amounted to Rs 4000. Passengers who have not been informed by the airlines shall be provided compensation of Rs 5,000 or booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, whichever is less for flights having a block time of up to and including 1 hour. Similarly, for flights having block time of more than 1 hour and up to and including 2 hours, compensation of Rs 7,500 or booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, whichever is less for flights will be provided. For cancellation/ delay of a flight having a block time of more than 2 hours, Rs 10,000 or booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, whichever is less for flights, will be compensated. Additionally, the airline shall provide facilities at the airport in the event they have already reported for their original flight and whilst they are waiting for the alternate flight. In case of denied boarding, airline will have to pay an amount equal to 200 per cent of booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, subject to maximum of Rs 20,000, in case airline arranges alternate flight that is scheduled to depart within 24 hours of the booked scheduled departure, and 400 per cent of booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, subject to maximum of INR 20,000,in case airline arranges alternate flight that is scheduled …

According to data released by DGCA, passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-May 2016 were 396.04 lakhs as against 322.32 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 22.87% . The statistics revealed that the passenger load factor in the month of May 2016 has slightly increased compared to previous month primarily due to the onset of tourist season. The overall cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines for the month of May 2016 has been 0.55%. Air Asia has been leading in terms of On Time Performance (OTP) at 90.2 per cent leaving behind Vistara and Indigo. SpiceJet emerged as the winner again in Passenger Load Factor (PLF) at 93.5 per cent.

The new Civil Aviation Policy, which got the Cabinet’s clearance today, has made many provisions to boost regional connectivity in India. The policy has proposed increasing connectivity to the country’s smaller towns and cities by offering sops and incentives to airlines to fly on these routes. According to the new policy, a 2 per cent cess in domestic and international tickets for the regional connectivity fund will be set up. Air strips will be refurbished, depending on demand, as no-frills airports. This will be done at a cost not exceeding Rs 50 crore, mostly through AAI. There will be a window system for all aviation related transactions and complaints by aviation regulator DGCA.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reportedly told airlines that ticket cancellation fees cannot exceed base fares. Every other charge collected apart from the base fare should be refunded to the customer since airfares have components like service tax and other airport charges in them, a senior aviation ministry official said. Any booking site charges will also need to be included within the new limit. The DGCA has already held discussions with airlines on the new rules, which will be announced soon, he said. This move comes into action after air fares skyrocketed during the Chennai floods last year and the Jat agitation in Haryana in February for which the government stepped in to cap ticket prices.

SpiceJet continues to record highest passenger load factor among Indian carriers with 92.3 per cent for the month of February 2016, according to statistics released by DGCA. SpiceJet has achieved above 90 per cent passenger load factor (PLF) for 10 successive months. The airline has also bettered its On-time Performance (OTP) for the month of February 2016 with 77.7 per cent as compared to 74.7 per cent during January 2016. OTP has been computed for its operations across the four metro airports of Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. SpiceJet operated 293 daily flights and carried 9.76 lakh passengers during the month thereby registering a market share of 13.1 per cent. Shilpa Bhatia, Sr. VP, Commercial, SpiceJet, said, “This achievement is recognition of the faith and confidence our customers have reposed on us and at the same time reflects the commitment and persistent effort of entire SpiceJet staff.” Flight cancellations have also declined steadily over the past few months for the airline, with the cancellation rate for February 2016 being just 0.35 per cent.