Aviation regulator forms panel to prevent airlines from fudging punctuality data

As private airlines fight over punctuality bragging rights, the aviation regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set up a high-level committee to plug  loopholes that allowed players to fudge figures. The committee was put in place after some airline staff were caught tweaking departure and arrival timings to boost ratings.

This committee is expected to track the entire process of 'One Time Performance' (OTP) from data entry to processing data to conclusion.  "The Director General of Civil Aviation B S Bhullar will head this panel. A vice president level official of Delhi International Airports Pvt. Ltd (DIAL) is also a member of the committee," said a senior official.

The committee is expected to submit its report in the next 15-20 days. After Indigo Airlines cried foul accusing Mumbai airport of inaccuracy and data fudging, the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) ordered an inquiry and suspended two data entry level officials.

After a series of claims and counter-claims, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) set up a panel to investigate the matter. Surprisingly, Spice Jet Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Ajay Singh, said, "Indigo cried foul only after its OTP dropped."  The DGCA officials viewed the statement as an admission of data manipulation by private players.

"Only 36 percent data of OTP is automated and rest is manual. Therefore, the scope for manipulation and fudging of data at the entry level is

high," said a senior DGCA officer. As per norms, up to 15 minutes delay in arrival or departure is considered accurate for flight operations.

 DGCA releases OTP data and performance indicators on a monthly basis but the OTP figures are used by airlines to woo their customers.

According to DGCA's monthly reports, Indigo topped the OTP chart in June, August, and September but ranked fifth, fourth and third respectively

in December, November and October. Its competitor, Spice Jet topped the chart in the last three months of 2016, and ranked second behind

Indigo in July, August, and September.

Spice Jet ranked fourth in June, fifth in May and February. OTP for scheduled domestic airlines is computed for four metro airports – Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

So, far the OTP data for 12 flights in November and 10 flights in December 2016 were found fudged. "It's difficult to ascertain how figures were manipulated. We don't have information on whether some palm were greased to tweak data ," added the officer.