Pune Airport Authorities Crack Down On Underutilized Flight Slots
Pune Airport To Get 13 Acres Of Land From IAF For Expansion
The Pune airport authorities have issued a directive to all airlines operating at the airport to properly utilize their allotted flight slots or surrender them. The move comes after it was found that 14 occupied slots were not being regularly used by the airlines.
According to a news report airlines often fail to start flights on their allotted slots or operate flights as per their will. The airlines have been asked to fully utilize the slots available to them so that flight movements increase and flyers get more options.
A slot is a permission given by the airport operator to an airline to land and take off its flights during a particular time of the day. At the Pune airport, a majority of empty slots are during late night and red-eye hours.
The airport authorities have expressed disappointment that the total flight movements have not increased as expected, despite the availability of slots. “We hoped that total flight movements would go up to more than 200 on most days, but this hasn’t happened as many slots are underutilized,” an airport official said while talking to a publication.
Aviation expert and former director of the Pune and Shirdi airports that the operator has the right to ask back or even cancel the slot if it remains unused or underutilized.
The underutilization of flight slots has a direct impact on flyers, as it results in fewer seats available for a destination, leading to higher airfares. The airport authorities have urged airlines to make better use of their allotted slots to increase flight movements and provide more options to flyers.
