Jet Airways with 89 aircraft had a fuel bill of Rs 3,758.39 crore for the year ended March 2010, and wasted as much as Rs 150 crore on incremental flying. Said Saroj Datta, executive director, Jet Airways: “Due to incremental flying arising from congestion at airports, the airline wasted 3-4% of fuel during 2009-10.”

With airlines bulking up their fleets to match demand, congestion has been on the rise. In Mumbai, India’s second busiest airport after New Delhi, delays in environmental clearance for a second airport proposed in Navi Mumbai have put additional burden on the existing airport.

Airlines say that though the process of upgrading and modernising airport infrastructure has started, it will take time as there is a tremendous backlog. Besides, all airlines are expansion fleet and hence, air congestion will increase with the limited infrastructure to support growth.

Carriers like Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet too waste fuel due to additional flying, say air traffic experts. While Kingfisher had a fuel bill of around Rs 1,802 crore, SpiceJet reported Rs 814 crore towards fuel cost, of which at least 3% would have been wasted due to additionally circling in the skies or weather issues or technical lags. Other carriers like Air India, Indigo and GoAir also are in a similar spot.

A Boeing 737 utilises 2,800 kg/per hour of fuel while flying and an Airbus 330 uses 4,000-5,000 kg/per hour.

Said Hormuz P Mama, an aerospace analyst: “A mid-sized airport can be completed from the start of construction to the start of operations in not less than about 36 months. In India, that time-scale could be much greater. Land acquisition issues still remain at Panvel in Navi Mumbai, and a large part of the land at Nevali, too, will need to be acquired, which itself will be a frustratingly lengthy process. Preparation of the detailed project report can begin only after all the clearances have been obtained for the airport.”