Flight cancellations due to "technical" issues double in May

Key highlights

• 52.1% of flights were cancelled in May due to technical reasons.
• Percentage of flights cancelled due to technical reasons was only 27.1% in April.
• The incumbent airlines spent nearly Rs 32.50 lakh in compensation payments to customers.

More than half the flights that were cancelled by domestic airlines in May were due to technical reasons, Directorate General of Civil Aviation report showed on Monday.

Technical reasons amounted to 52.1% of cancellation causes out of the total, in May. This percentage was 27.1% in April and 38.7% in March.

“There can be numerous reasons listed under ‘technical difficulties.’ From engine mishaps to tyre replacements, problems with lighting and even air conditioning problems, technical reasons can be very broad. These issues if overlooked can become a safety hazard,” an airline spokesperson told Zeebiz.

Also Read: Check-in errors to baggage trouble: Why most of your flights were delayed

Operational reasons ranked second under ‘reasons for cancellation’ at 8.9%; while weather, commercial and miscellaneous reasons were at 6.8%, 3.4% and 28.8% respectively.

“Any technical issue that arises as part of the normal operation of the aircraft are usually assumed to be as a result of the air carrier has failed to properly monitor or maintain systems and equipment in accordance with the required maintenance program,” a report by Flight Delays.co said.

Zoom Air had the highest cancellation rate in the month of May with 6.45% of its total flights being cancelled. However, in the DGCA report zero passengers were impacted and it had 0% market share in May.

Market leader – IndiGo was at 0.14%, SpiceJet was at 0.39%, Jet Airways at 0.28% and Air India was at 0.37%.
 
Flight cancellations had inconvenienced 12,641 IndiGo passengers, 1,145 Jet Airways and Lite passengers, 2796 SpiceJet passengers and 964 Air India passengers.
 
Also Read: Costlier to have empty seats on flights than to overbook and compensate

The incumbent airlines spent nearly Rs 32.50 lakh in compensation payments to customers due to flight cancellations.
 

The total number of passengers impacted in the month of May amounted to 19,175 as per DGCA data for which the airlines had to shell out Rs 55.11 lakh for compensation payment and facilities.