The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved 26,495 weekly departures for the Winter Schedule 2025 (26 Oct 2025 – 28 Mar 2026), a 6 % year-on-year rise, according to a PTI dispatch carried by ETTravelWorld on 25 October. The schedule connects 126 airports, with Amravati, Hisar, Purnia and Rupsi joining the domestic grid, while seven smaller stations lose service.
Key numbers: IndiGo and Air India together account for 15,014 weekly flights. Air India Express will run 4,277, up 12 %. Akasa and SpiceJet secure 1,027 and 1,568 slots respectively. Alliance Air’s 520 flights focus on UDAN regional routes.
Why it matters: 1) More frequencies improve day-return options for executives, cutting hotel costs. 2) New connectivity to manufacturing clusters such as Hisar supports same-day sample movement and plant audits. 3) Airlines’ slot gains anticipate delivery of nearly 1,500 aircraft on order, signalling continued capacity expansion despite global macro headwinds.
Challenges: Air India’s weekly flights are 10.5 % lower than last winter, reflecting ongoing cabin-retrofit and pilot-training constraints. Slot coordinators warn that infrastructure at some tier-3 airports lags traffic growth, posing on-time-performance risks.
Action items for mobility teams: Update travel policies to reflect new airports; renegotiate corporate fares on sectors gaining additional competition; and monitor DGCA circulars on potential schedule revisions tied to fog-season contingency plans.
Key numbers: IndiGo and Air India together account for 15,014 weekly flights. Air India Express will run 4,277, up 12 %. Akasa and SpiceJet secure 1,027 and 1,568 slots respectively. Alliance Air’s 520 flights focus on UDAN regional routes.
Why it matters: 1) More frequencies improve day-return options for executives, cutting hotel costs. 2) New connectivity to manufacturing clusters such as Hisar supports same-day sample movement and plant audits. 3) Airlines’ slot gains anticipate delivery of nearly 1,500 aircraft on order, signalling continued capacity expansion despite global macro headwinds.
Challenges: Air India’s weekly flights are 10.5 % lower than last winter, reflecting ongoing cabin-retrofit and pilot-training constraints. Slot coordinators warn that infrastructure at some tier-3 airports lags traffic growth, posing on-time-performance risks.
Action items for mobility teams: Update travel policies to reflect new airports; renegotiate corporate fares on sectors gaining additional competition; and monitor DGCA circulars on potential schedule revisions tied to fog-season contingency plans.
