70 lakh fine on Air Vistara: DGCA takes action on running less number of flights in North India

Civil aviation regulator DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 70 lakh on Air Vistara. In fact, Air Vistara has operated less than the minimum number of flights in the under-served region of Northeast India. The DGCA has considered it a violation of the rules and imposed a fine.
This fine was imposed on Air Vistara in October last year for running fewer flights in April 2022. An official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the airline has already paid the fine.
All airlines in the country have to inform DGCA about the minimum number of flights in each sector. DGCA is very strict regarding the minimum number of flights in the country.
Vistara spokesperson said, “Vistara has been fully following the Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) for the last several years. In fact, we are consistently operating more flights in different categories than the expected ASKMs (Available Seat Kilometers), as prescribed in the RDG rule.
However, the spokesperson admitted that some flights had to be cancelled due to the closure of the Bagdogra airport. Thereby reducing the number of flights required in April 2022 by only 0.01%, less than the mandated 1% on NE routes. Due to this, DGCA imposed a fine on Air Vistara.
The regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), the flagship program of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has already completed five years. The first flight was launched in April 2017. The scheme was launched in October 2016 with the aim to fulfill the aspirations of the common citizen. Which included providing better aviation infrastructure and air connectivity to Tier II and Tier III cities.