Govt to allocate 440 vacant Jet slots to other airlines

New Delhi: With Jet Airways suspending operations, as many as 440 slots are vacant at Delhi and Mumbai airports which will be allocated to other airlines in a transparent manner, a senior official said.

The grounding of planes by Jet Airways has resulted in capacity reduction in the domestic sector, which has also led to a spurt in airfares in many sectors.

Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola Thursday said the 440 slots vacated by Jet Airways at Delhi and Mumbai airports would be allocated to other airlines on an interim basis through a "rational, fair and equitable" manner.

There are 280 vacant slots at Mumbai and over 160 at the Delhi airport. These two aerodromes are among the busiest in the country.

The slots would be allocated for three months by a committee, comprising officials from the DGCA, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and respective airports.

 Kharola also said around 30 more planes would be inducted by various airlines in next three months.