DGCA Highlights April Flight Delays Amid Monsoon Challenges

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has flagged significant flight delays in April, attributing these issues to various factors exacerbated during the monsoon season.

The DGCA report also noted a rise in passenger complaints. IndiGo emerged as the leading airline in terms of passenger numbers, while Akasa Air topped the charts for on-time performance (OTP). The DGCA expressed concerns about the declining OTP and the increasing number of complaints, urging airlines to enhance operational efficiency and customer service during challenging weather conditions. The report underscores the need for robust measures to mitigate delays and improve passenger satisfaction.

According to officials, 1.32 crore passengers travelled domestically in April. IndiGo holds the maximum share of passengers, which is 80 lakhs. “April can be considered a good month for the Indian domestic aviation sector, at least for Mumbai, considering that no airline’s OTP is below 50 percent. However, with the fast-approaching monsoon, performance will drop drastically due to weather conditions causing flight delays for safety reasons. On a pan-India level, the OTP of airlines has not seen an improvement from the previous month.”

Another senior DGCA official raised concerns about the number of passenger complaints lodged with the DGCA in April and recalled data from previous months. He stated, “We received a total of 774 complaints in April alone, and the number of complaints since January 1 has already surpassed 3,000. This is very concerning. This has not been the case in the past few years, where the number of complaints lodged with DGCA surpassed 3,000 in just four months. We still have two complaints open against Alliance Air, but the remaining 772 complaints have been closed and responded to.”

He also explained, “The maximum number of delays in April were caused by recreational purposes. Recreational delay refers to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft, connecting flight, crew, or cargo. Since one aircraft fly’s multiple legs in a day, one delayed leg causes the next leg to delay, creating a cascading effect where the amount of delay increases with each leg.”