Indian airports and travellers benefit from 'daytime' international operations
17 May 2008
New Delhi: Airports at India's major metros are now conducting operations round the clock with international carriers increasingly introducing 'daytime' flights for global destinations. The introduction of international daytime services is increasing thanks mainly to the efforts made in this direction by the ministry of civil aviation. Earlier, most international flights would operate at night.
Todays' change of scheduling by international airlines is largely due to a move made by India two years ago an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) meet, where it proposed that the night curfew imposed by many European and US airports ought to be done away with.
The Indian government's basic contention was that the night curfew imposed by Western nations was unfair to airlines and travellers from the developing world, especially those in the east. The ministry of civil aviation also insisted that Indian carriers should not be restricted from operating flights from western airports during night, which arrive in India during the day.
India asked aviation authorities in the West to consider the consequences if it should close down its airports at night for identical reasons of noise and pollution.
The move at removing nighttime curfew was also aimed at de-congesting major airports, particularly those in Mumbai and Delhi which handled most international traffic at the time.
Post-ICAO meet, the government insisted that global carriers, if already operating nighttime services in India and wishing to add new flights, would now have to time new arrivals and departures in daytime.
British carrier, Virgin Atlantic, was the first to introduce daytime flights out of Delhi with UK flag carrier, British Airways, following suit with its new services.
German flag carrier, Lufthansa, now operates daytime flights to Munich out of Delhi and Mumbai, apart from its night services to Frankfurt.
Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways have also launched new daytime flights out of Delhi, while Cathay Pacific, which now operates two flights, has one each in morning and evening.
Emirates Airlines of the United Arab Emirates has two day flights out of Mumbai to Dubai, while Sri Lankan Airlines operates twice during the day out of Chennai.
