GoAir to operate over 20% more flights in summer

MUMBAI: No-frills carrier GoAir will operate a little over 20 per cent more flights in the summer this year without adding any new destination in its route network.

The airline will operate 205 daily flights this summer as compared to 170 movements per day in the March-October period of 2016, a senior airline official said today.

The summer schedule of the Indian airlines commences from the last Saturday of March and goes up to the last Friday of October every year.

"The increase in capacity in the current summer schedule is about 21 per cent compared to last summer. However, the capacity compared to the just concluded winter schedule is up by 13 per cent over the winter of 2016-17," the official told PTI.

The Wadia group-owned airline has a fleet of 24 Airbus planes - 19 A320s and five A320Neos. It flies to 23 domestic destinations.

"Overall, we have added a total of 35 new city pairs this summer in terms of connections without opening any new destination," the official said.

A city pair is a pair of departure (origin) and arrival (destination) airport on a flight itinerary.

The airline official also said GoAir has enhanced frequency on the existing routes than adding new airports as part of the summers schedule.

GoAir has placed order for 144 A320 New Engine Option (Neo) planes with the European aviation major Airbus in two tranches. It has already taken delivery of five such aircraft from the 2011 order.

In June 2011, it had placed order for 72 new A320 Neo aircraft valued at about Rs 32,400 crore on list price. In January this year, the budget carrier firmed up Rs 52,000 crore order for another 72 A320 Neo jets.