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DO YOU KNOW: How Airport Slots Are Allotted To Airlines?

A few weeks ago, SpiceJet & IndiGo announced that they will be connecting Delhi And Bangalore to Hong Kong respectively.

With Air India having publicly stated in the past that they are not getting desirable slots at Hong Kong for their flights from Mumbai, there was a lot of social media buzz on how did the two low-cost carriers manage to get the slots.

Did they pay? Did they purchase? Did somebody lend it to them?

These questions made us wonder how is airline slot allocation done. It’s a very complex process but there is a method in the madness.

How Is An Airline Allotted An Airport Slot?

Worldwide there are different rules for slot management. However, they are mostly allotted based on World Slot Guidelines (WSG) of International Air Transport Association (IATA).

While airports like London Heathrow allow sale or lease of slots, airports in India do not follow this practice.

An Airport slot or a “slot” is a permission given by a coordinator for a planned operation to use the full range of airport infrastructure necessary to arrive or depart on a specific date and time.

IATA puts airports into 3 different categories- Level1, Level 2, Level 3, with Level 3 being the most congested in terms of airplane movement.

In simple terms, a level 3 airport is one where:

  • Demand for airport infrastructure significantly exceeds the airport’s capacity during the period for which slot allocation is being done
  • Expansion of airport infrastructure to meet demand is not possible in the short term
  • Attempts to resolve this problem through schedule adjustments have either failed or have proved to be ineffective

This mandates the airport to have a slot coordinator (team) which handles the process of slot allocation to balance capacity and demand.

What Is The Process For Applying For An Airport Slot?

If a new airline wants to operate on an air route, they have to request their government to allocate them rights to operate the route under the Air Services Agreement.

Once the airline is allotted the route, it becomes a “Designated carrier” which makes it eligible to file for slots with the origin and destination airport.

The global scheduling calendar for airlines is divided into two seasons – Summer (From last Sunday of March to last Saturday of October) and Winter (the remainder, last Sunday of October to last Saturday of March).

To give a snapshot of how early an airline has to plan, let us take the example of Summer 2019 schedule, which starts on March 31, 2019:

  • Airlines have already filed their desired slot requests on October 4, 2018. After negotiations, the airline and airport representatives will meet between November 13-16 to finalize the slots.
  • The airlines have to handover the slots which they don’t intend to operate by January 15, 2019.
  • IATA in fact publishes the schedule for future seasons as well.

Airlines today know that they need to file the schedule for flights starting 27th October 2019 (Winter schedule 2019) by May 9, 2019.

It’s a pretty long process and the wait may seem forever, but this process gets a lot of structure to the airport slot allotment procedure.

Who Allocates These Slots?

Slots can only be given by an airport coordinator who has been appointed to that specific airline.

The airline has to operate within the terms that have been agreed between both the parties. This means that airlines cannot intentionally operate services at a significantly different time or use slots in a significantly different way than allotted to them.

An airline who has already been operating in a slot is given preference, based on the historical data.

This is popularly known as the “use it or lose it” rule, where airlines have to operate at least 80% of the time during the period of slot allocation.

IATA rules mandate that historic slots of an airline should not be withdrawn from an airline to accommodate new entrance. But slots can be transferred or swapped between airlines.

How Do Airport Coordinators Allocate slots To New Airlines?

A Level 3 airport has to declare beforehand, its capacity and how airlines utilize this capacity.

All the available slots thereafter are part of the slot pool. Newly available slots (due to increase in capacity) are also part of this slot pool.

These slots are allocated to airlines in this specific order:

  • 50 percent of the slots contained in the pool are to be allotted to the new entrants(an airline that has never operated on that route), unless the demand from new entrants is less than 50 percent
  • When new slots are allocated, an airline asking for year round operations and higher frequency will have higher priority
  • The type of service given by the airline(scheduled, charter and cargo) and the market (domestic, regional and long haul) in which the airline operates is also a huge factor.
  • The location from the flight will start is also important. For example, a flight from Delhi or Mumbai, which are well connected, will be preferred over flights from Lucknow, whose flight network is not very large.

If the new entrant gets a slot within an hour of the time requested and the airline does not accept the slot, then the airline is not considered a new entrant.

How Strict Are Airports With Airlines Following Slot Timings?

During winters and monsoons, most airlines are not able to follow the schedules timing since the weather conditions are not good , which brings a huge variation in the approved time slot and the actual arrival time.

Airports are accommodative towards genuine reasons and based on historical data, help airlines offer a slot which is more realistic based on their historic arrival times.

Spicejet & IndiGo will both have a presence at Hong Kong and hence won’t be considered as new entrants for the next set of expansion. With airlines in India now looking at foreign shores, every rule will be used effectively to get the best slots at airports in India and abroad.

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Lion Air Under Investigation After Last Week’s Airplane Crash!

Last week, an unfortunate disaster hit Indonesia, where a Lion Air crashed plunged into the Java Sea just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 189 onboard.

Authorities are conducting a review of the operations of Lion Air, as the search for the main wreckage and cockpit voice recorder of the crashed Boeing jet continues into the seventh day.

The “special audit” will cover the standard operating procedures of the airline, the flight crew qualifications and coordination with industry stakeholders.

Indonesia’s aviation ministry is coordinating with institutions such as the European Union, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Federal Aviation Administration. Corrective steps will be taken on the basis of the review.

The government had already ordered a review of Lion’s repair and maintenance unit and suspended several managers after the airline had reported some technical issues a day before the crash.

Even after a week-long search involving dozens of ships and hundreds of specialists, the plane’s main wreckage and the cockpit voice recorder that’s key to unravelling the mystery, are yet to be recovered.

However, search crews have recovered a flight data recorder, both the engines, a part of the landing gear, body parts of victims and personal belongings since the flight carrying 189 people plummeted into the sea.

Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee recovered about 69 hours of flying data from the flight data recorder. The agency will begin analyzing the information from Monday to find out the reasons for the crash.

The Lion Air crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since 1997, when 234 people died on a Garuda flight near Medan. In December 2014, an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea, killing all 162 on board.

Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following years.

 

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Authorities In Talks To Reopen Old Bangalore Airport For Commercial Use!

A decade after commercial flights moved from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), authorities are in talks with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to reopen the airport for commercial operations.

The HAL airport was shut down in 2008 in the wake of a concessional agreement between the ministry of civil aviation and BIAL that no commercial airport would function within a radius of 150 km from the Greenfield airfield(KIA) for a period of 25 years.

HAL airport currently handles military aircraft and test flights besides chartered and VIP jets.

Managing Director and chairman of HAL, Mr. V Madhavan, has initiated talks with BIAL to reopen the airport. HAL plans to lease it out to a private bidder but will continue to operate the Air Traffic Control.

He also said that reopening of the old airport for commercial flights would not affect flight tests of military aircraft by the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) and DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS).

Reopening of the old airport would mean a revisit of the concessional agreement signed between BIAL and ministry of civil aviation.

When it closed, HAL airport had reported revenue of around ₹150 crore. It is small in HAL’s overall current revenue of around ₹18,000 crore which mainly comes from selling fighters, transport planes and helicopters to the Air Force.

KIA started operating in 2008 at Devanahalli, about 40 km north of the city’s old central hub. It is the country’s third busiest after Delhi and Mumbai’s airports. In almost ten years, its annual passenger traffic has doubled to 25 million during 2017, about 19% being regional or short-haul travellers.

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10 Simple Airplane Stretches To Beat Travel Fatigue!

Whether you’re 16 or 60, it’s never comfortable being stuck on an airplane for a long flight.

Between the stress of flying and being crammed into an uncomfortable seat for hours, your body can quickly become stiff.

While these hacks may not beat the comfort of a first-class seat, simple airplane stretches and exercises can help you reach your destination without a sore body.

WHILE SEATED

There are plenty of small stretches and movements you can do while seated throughout a flight.

Neck Rolls/Stretch

Release tension from your neck by slowly twisting your neck from side to side and moving it up and down in a “yes” then a “no” movement.

After a few of these try bringing your right ear down toward your right shoulder to stretch the left side of your neck then repeat on the other side.

Finally, drop your chin down toward your chest and gently roll it from side to side.

Seated Twist

Grab on to your seat’s armrest with both hands and gently pull to twist your torso to one side helping stretch and relax the spine. Do the same for the other side.

Ankle Stretches

Start with both feet flat on the floor then flex your ankles by stretching your toes upward then bringing them back down. From there, roll through your feet, lifting your heels up with your toes still on the ground. Repeat these movements several times to get the blood moving in your legs.

Ankle Circles

Additionally, lift one-foot slight off the ground and gently roll your ankle in a circle changing directions every couple of rolls. Repeat on the other side.

Leg Extensions

If you’re in an aisle seat, try lifting your foot up extending at the knee to stretch out stiff legs and really get the blood circulating. Do a couple of these movements for each foot.

WHILE STANDING

Though everyone knows they should stand up and walk around during a long flight, that’s often easier said than done. Make sure to try some of the seated stretches, but when you’re able to stand up, take advantage of this time with these exercises.

Quadriceps Stretch

Rest your left hand on the wall or back of a seat for balance and use your right hand to reach back and grab your right ankle, bending your right foot up so your knee is pointing down.

Hold this for several breaths before gently releasing your foot to the ground and repeating on the other side. This stretch will help release tension in your quadriceps (front thigh) and hip after sitting still for a long time.

Calf Raises

Stand with your feet a couple inches apart and raise your heels so you’re standing on the tip of your toes, hold for a couple seconds then lower back down feeling the stretch in your calves and waking up your legs.

Lateral Stretch

Standing with your left arm down, stretch your right arm straight up then softly start to bend to the left side stretching your arm over your head to feel a lengthening stretch in your right side.

Come back up to center, release your right arm and repeat on the other side.

AFTER THE FLIGHT

Once you reach your final destination, take a few moments to relax into these two restorative stretches that will help melt stress away.

Child’s Pose

This common yoga pose is a great way to stretch your hips, back, shoulders and chest while also having a grounding, calming effect.

Kneel down on your knees and slowly stretch your upper body forward toward the ground, reaching your arms in front of you until your forehead touches the ground. Stay there for a couple of minutes before sitting back up.

Legs Up Against The Wall

This position may feel a little awkward at first, but you’ll soon notice that after a couple minutes your legs will feel lighter and less lethargic.

Sitting on the ground next to a wall, lay down on your back as you slide your legs together straight up the wall. Stay here for at least three minutes letting your stress drain away.

When you’re ready to get out of the pose, slowly swing your legs down to one side and rest there for a couple breaths before sitting up.

If you’re looking for a yoga room at the airport to stretch your tiredness away, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz app and get all the information about Yoga rooms and spa’s along with other amenities located at your airport & fly stress-free.

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Airlines Under Scanner For Alleged Fixing Of Airfares!

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has initiated an inquiry into the pricing of air tickets after it found that airlines were allegedly following a similar pattern while setting tariffs, thus making the process anti-competitive.

Airlines follow a bucket system in pricing their tickets, wherein fares are lower if the ticket is booked in advance. Tariffs increase when the travel is booked closer to the date of departure.

Airlines say that this is a software-based system which takes into account historical booking patterns while pricing the tickets.

CCI, a fair trade regulator, is investigating allegations of similar pricing as well as a simultaneous increase in ticket prices by airlines. The cases pertain to steep fluctuations in airfares during the Jat agitation in Haryana, floods in Chennai, among other instances, in the last few years.

According to CCI chief Mr. Sudhir Mittal, during the Jat riots in Haryana, all airlines decided to increase the price of tickets on the same day. A similar thing happened in 2015 when floods hit Chennai.

The regulator is waiting for a report from the Director General (DG), which is its investigation arm. Generally, cases where the CCI finds evidence of violations of competition norms, DG is detailed to investigate.

Mr. Mittal has said that they have asked the DG to look into the algorithms, used by airlines for determining fares, to ascertain whether airlines coordinated to fix prices or the algorithms function on their own to determine prices.

CCI, which keeps a tab on unfair business practices across all sectors, has the power to penalise entities for anti-competitive ways and direct them to cease operations or desist from indulging in such practices.

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Turkey Unveils The World’s Largest Airport In Istanbul!

Turkey is all set to assert itself as the global hub for travel, as it inaugurates the “Istanbul New Airport”, which is the world’s largest airport to be built from scratch.

The airport, which will be fully functional over the next decade, has six runways and the whole airport is larger than all of Manhattan put together.

Not just that, it will be able to handle 200 million passengers per annum when fully operational, which is almost double of Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (The Busiest Airport In The World) located in Atlanta which handled 103 million passengers in 2017, with over 2,500 flights operated every day.

There are currently three terminals planned for Istanbul’s New Airport.

The Istanbul New Airport’s architecture reflects the rich cultural heritage of Istanbul, with the design inspiration coming from Istanbul’s various mosques, baths, domes and other historic structures. As you land, you will notice the ATC tower, which has been designed in the shape of a tulip, Turkey’s national flower.

The first flight took of yesterday from the newly inaugurated airport. Turkish Airlines flight TK2124 with 340 people on board completed its maiden flight from Istanbul to Turkey’s capital, Ankara.

For now, only 1 terminal is open as part of its 1st phase of operations. This terminal is the world’s largest airport terminal under one roof, with a capacity to handle 90 million passengers per day.

Turkish Airlines will operate 5 flights a day from this airport November 1 onwards, which will include three domestic and two international flights. For the next couple of months, it will use the airport code ISL and will use these five flights as a test case to complete the 1st phase by the end of 2018.

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Delhi Airport Now Among The Top 20 Busiest Airports In The World!

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi, which is one of the fastest growing major airports over the last four years, is now on the list of the 20 busiest airports in the world.

According to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), it was expected and also predicted that the passenger traffic will reach 95 million in the year 2023 because the airport’s expansion plan is on schedule.

Here are a few interesting figures that make Delhi one of the fastest growing airports in the world:

  • As per the data reported by Airports Council International (ACI), the global body that is responsible to monitor global airport traffic, Delhi airport’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between the years 2014 and 2017 is 14.3%.
  • This growth rate is the highest amongst the airports handling minimum 40 million passengers per annum, which includes famous international airports like Incheon airport in South Korea (10.5%), Pudong Shanghai airport in China (10.4%), and Dubai airport in UAE (7.4%).
  • In fact, since 2014, IGIA has been among the top three in the world when it comes to passenger traffic growth.
  • In the year 2016, the highest growth of 21% was registered by IGIA as against global annual average passenger growth of 6.5%. This is due to the huge growth in domestic passengers, which is almost 20% in the last five years.
  • According to a report by DIAL, over the last four years, 12 new scheduled airlines and over 10 international sectors have been introduced.

The report added that now the focus of DIAL is on airport capacity enhancement, terminal infrastructure, increase in flights per day and addition of new domestic as well as international sectors.

To do this, DIAL is expected to get an investment of Rs 9000 Crores. This investment will enable Delhi airport to boost its capacity and handle 100 million passengers in a year.

Soon, IGIA will also become the first airport in India to have four runways. The construction of the fourth runway is expected to begin this year and the airport officials are expecting to commission the runway by next year. Interestingly, this new move will increase the capacity of the airport from 75 flights to 105 flights an hour.

 

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“Lion Air” Flight Crashes In Indonesia,189 Passengers Missing!

Indonesia, which was coming to terms with the recent havoc created by an earthquake in the region, has yet again been hit with a tragedy.

Indonesia’s “Lion Air” airplane carrying 189 passengers and crew crashed into the Java Sea on Monday morning, moments after taking off from Jakarta Airport.

Flight JT 610 from Jakarta to the city of Pangkal Pinang, disappeared off the radar 13 minutes after taking off from the Indonesian capital at around 6:20 a.m. The airplane crashed and sunk deep into the sea.

The aircraft carried 178 adult passengers, 1 child and 2 babies. The flight’s crew consisted of Captain Bhavye Suneja and Captain Harino as second in command along with 5 crew members.

According to the Acting  Director Of Civil Aviation, Mr. Pramintohadi Sukarno, search operations are underway and rescue squads have been deployed around Tanjung Karawang, the site where the airplane was seen crashing.

A crisis center has also been established at Terminal 1B of the Jakarta Airport & Pangkal Pinang Airport to help families of the passengers.

Local media reports have said that the preliminary flight data shows a drop in the airplane’s altitude and increase in speed before the transmission got cut. The airplane appears to have plunged into the sea just off the course of Indonesia.

Lion Air hasn’t released an official statement.

The deadly crash of a Lion Air has renewed questions about the safety of Indonesian airline soon after U.S. and European regulators removed prohibitions against them.

Indonesia’s aviation industry has had a shaky past. The United States and the European Union banned its airplanes from their skies in 2007.

Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands but has a poor aviation safety record and has suffered several fatal crashes in recent years.

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