Flying To Mumbai? Be Prepared For Cancellations And Flight Delays Due To Airport Congestion
Akasa Air on Wednesday said it will be cancelling two of its flights between Mumbai and Bengaluru till March 30.
On Tuesday the airline had said that it was cancelling four flights between the two cities.?
Flight cancellations in Mumbai Airport
Akasa Air operates a total of 54 services (27 departures and arrivals each) to and from Mumbai, connecting to 12 destinations in the country, as per the airline.
Other domestic airlines including SpiceJet, IndiGo, Air India and Vistara are also likely to cut down flights operating to and from Mumbai.
This comes after the Union Civil Aviation Ministry asked the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to reduce flight operations due to excessive slot allocations, which resulted in congestion there.
Why are flights being cancelled
According to reports, some 30 flights to and from Mumbai will be cancelled every day till March 30, due to the directive issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday said that due to congestion and excess capacity on its runways, flights are forced to hover over the city for a long duration of around 40-60 minutes, leading to traffic in the air and burning of extra jet fuel.
¡°The staggering fuel consumption during these prolonged circling times has raised alarms, with an average aircraft burning approximately 2000 kilograms of fuel per hour,¡± said a senior MoCA official.
Airlines incurring fuel wastage, financial loses
The ministry said that such delays lead to significant fuel wastage, ranging from 1.7 to 2.5 kilolitres of jet fuel, translating to a financial burden of around Rs 1.8 to 2.6 lakh per flight.
¡°This additional cost is anticipated to eventually trickle down to consumers, affecting both passengers and airlines adversely. Moreover, the inefficiency in airport operations results in longer wait times and inordinate delays, exacerbating the situation for all stakeholders involved,¡± said the official.
An analysis conducted by the Airport Authority of India identified a bottleneck during the High-Intensity Runway Operations (HIRO) hours, particularly from 0800 to 1100 hrs. and 1700 to 2000 hrs., where the permitted air traffic nearly equaled that of the remaining 18 hours combined.
General Aviation and Military Aircraft operations further exacerbated the congestion, particularly during peak hours.
¡°The root causes of persistent congestion were attributed to excessive slot distribution with limited time margins by the airport operator, non-adherence to slots by airlines, and non-scheduled operations during peak hours. Despite the Airport Operator's dual role as slot provider and manager, proactive measures to regulate air traffic movements were lacking,¡± said the official.
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