Amid Rising Fuel Costs, Indian Airlines To Operate 2,500 Fewer Flights From March 29

Due to rising fuel costs and the ongoing West Asia crisis, Indian airlines are set to operate 2,500 fewer weekly flights during the summer schedule, starting on March 29. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation released the new domestic flight summer schedule on Thursday. Read on to know more about the development.

Indian Airlines To Operate 2,500 Fewer Flights

As per a report by News18, Indian airlines are set to operate around 2,500 fewer flights per week during the summer schedule, starting on March 29. The carriers cut down capacity amid rising fuel costs and uncertainty triggered by the West Asia crisis. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released the domestic flight summer schedule, which is from March 29 to October 24, for nine scheduled airlines. According to the news portal, a senior DGCA official stated that airlines would operate around 10 per cent fewer flights in the 2026 summer schedule than last year’s.

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Last year, during the 2025 schedule, there were 25,610 weekly flights to and from India; with a 10% reduction, this year’s number would be 2,561 fewer. As per the analysis, the total count will be around 23,049 weekly flights to and from India. The nine airlines that will operate flights during the 2026 summer schedule are Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Alliance Air, FLY91, IndiaOne Air and Star Air. However, the DGCA has not provided a consolidated figure or a comparison with the previous year’s summer schedule.

In the current winter schedule from October 26, 2025, to March 28, 2026, airlines were to operate around 26,495 Indian weekly flights. IndiGo disrupted operations in early December, leading the DGCA to reduce the carrier’s winter schedule flights by 10%.

The Ongoing West Asia Conflict

The ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran that started on February 28 has significantly impacted oil and gas supplies, along with international travel. Airlines are reducing travel capacity due to rising operational costs and have also included fuel surcharges in domestic and international flights.

The new portal also reported that airline executives have informed that there is a lot of uncertainty and there could be further reduction in the existing summer schedule itself. The schedule was mostly prepared in January and February, a period during which there was no news related to the West Asia conflict. In a statement, IndiGo airline stated that it intends to start its domestic summer schedule with nearly 2,000 daily flights in April.

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