MUMBAI: More than 300 flights were delayed at least once in five times they landed or took-off from Mumbai airport.
Data procured by the ministry of civil aviation from Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) shows that a total of 328 flights (both arrivals and departures) were delayed on more than 20% of the occasions they operated in or out of Mumbai.
The data, first-of-its-kind, was compiled to keep tabs on airlines which are not sticking to their schedule. The ministry will be monitoring the delays on a monthly basis to see which flights are operating late on a regular basis.
The data shows that 188 arriving flights and 140 flights departing from Mumbai were late on more than 20% of the times they operated to or from the airport. While some flights operated daily though the month, some were operating on less than 20 days.
"To keep discrepancies away, the number of days a flight operated was kept in mind. The scheduled departure\arrival time and the actual time of departure\arrival was monitored on a case-to-case basis," said an airport official.
Alok Sinha, joint secretary in the ministry of civil aviation, said, that the exercise was done to let airlines know they are being watched for the delays. "The delays can be due to various reasons. Some may be due to weather, others may on account of runway maintenance work going on at Mumbai airport. However, a continuous scrutiny will show which airlines and flights are repeatedly delayed," said Sinha. "We will plan what penalty to levy after a pattern emerges," he added.
Ministry officials had earlier decided that flights not sticking to their schedule on a regular basis will lose their slots. Though no such action has been initiated yet, officials said that these delays will determine the slots these flights will get in the upcoming winter schedule. "Serial offenders may lose their slots in the new schedule which will be applicable from October. Their slots will be given to more deserving flights," said a senior ministry official. "The list was supposed to be published for the public to know which flights are more frequently delayed. That will also be done shortly,'' he added.
The list shows that while some flights have been delayed once in every four or five times they operated, there are many which have been delayed almost every second time they operated into or from Mumbai.
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