Overview
- DGCA’s summer schedule, which starts March 29, points to roughly 23,000 weekly domestic flights across nine carriers, about 10% fewer than last year.
- Regulators posted airline-by-airline schedules without a single total, but multiple analyses place the figure near 23,049 weekly flights.
- Airlines cite cost spikes from aviation turbine fuel and a weaker rupee plus war-related detours and airspace limits as the reason for scaling back.
- Gulf routes have been hit hardest since February 28, with Cirium data showing about 72% of planned India–Gulf services canceled by Indian carriers.
- IndiGo plans nearly 2,000 domestic flights a day in April and says international flying will flex with Middle East conditions, while fare caps were withdrawn and further cuts or price hikes remain possible if fuel climbs in April.