New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the country's largest airline IndiGo to keep about 15-20% of the seats on its Delhi-Istanbul flight empty during days of strong Westerlies.
The advisory from the Indian civil aviation regulator comes after the airline failed to carry luggage of passengers traveling on the route during one of its flights a few days ago.
The directive was given only for flights facing Westerlies, said a DGCA official.
"These flights consume more fuel, so as a safety measure, should carry less load," the official added.
Westerlies are strong winds, which move from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30-60 degrees during winter.
IndiGo, which started its Delhi-Istanbul route earlier this year, operates Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft on the route.
The airline has seat capacity to carry 186 passengers on its A320 planes and about 222 seats on its A321 aircraft.
Following the advisory, the airline will have to keep upto a fifth of its capacity empty only on its flights facing Westerlies. The other option is to halt at a destination mid-way for refueling, which is a more expensive proposition for the no-frill carrier.
