Since the crash of Boeing 737 MAX 8 on last Sunday the Indian airspace has been witnessing many dynamic changes ranging from immediate cancellation of flying operations of all Boeing 737 MAX to unprecedented rise in airfares.
Indian aviation market which is the fastest growing aviation market also faced repercussions of the crash. Airfares have skyrocketed by about 100% on some of the routes compared to fares last year, as the data of various online travel agency shows.
DGCA two days earlier banned the transition of any Boeing 737 MAX 8 and even ordered for immediate grounding of all such Boeing owing to safety reasons. This has led to cancellation of large number of flights by leading carriers like SpiceJet and debt-ridden Jet Airways.
“DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations. As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety,” ministry of civil aviation said in its earlier tweet following the Etopian Airline crash.
The sentiment became worse by the on going crises in the Indian airspace as most of the leading carrier are grappling with one or the other problem which is leading them to cancel large number of flights.
Indian aviation leader, Indigo has been facing the shortage of pilots as most of the pilots have already crossed the 1000 hours per year limit. The situation has deteriorated by the ongoing strike of Indigo pilots.
Naresh Goyal led Jet Airways which has a 123 airplane fleet, has grounded over 40% of its fleet as the beleaguered airline is unable to pay due rental to its lessors.
While worst hit by the DGCA order, SpiceJet which has five such planes in its fleet has to cancel a number of its flights to comply with DGCA order. All of this has led to skyrocketing airfares especially in the last minute bookings category. More increase in airfares is expected in the coming future.