Ever wondered why your flight sometimes takes off late but still manages to land “on time” — or even early? For instance, the Delhi–Mumbai route may take 1 hour 45 minutes one day and 2 hours 45 minutes on another. Behind this puzzling punctuality lies a quiet strategy Indian airlines have mastered: schedule padding.

What is On-Time Performance (OTP)?

On-time performance (OTP) has become a critical benchmark in India’s aviation sector. According to DGCA’s 2024 data, IndiGo reported an OTP of 87.4%, Air India 79.8%, and SpiceJet 76.3%. To achieve such figures, airlines build “buffers” into flight schedules, making it easier to claim punctuality even when departures are delayed.

How Flight Schedules Are Crafted

Former Civil Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey notes that “everyone in the industry plays the OTP game.” Airlines deliberately stretch scheduled times. For example, the actual Delhi–Mumbai flight duration is around 1 hour 40 minutes, yet tickets often show 2 hours 30–40 minutes.

This accounts for:

• Runway taxiing delays (20–30 minutes, sometimes longer at busy airports like Delhi and Mumbai).

• Air traffic congestion, especially on single-runway airports like Mumbai.

• Weather conditions, including fog and monsoons.

• Technical or staffing delays.

By adding these cushions, even late flights can appear to land “on time.”

Why Airlines Pad Schedules

A senior pilot explained that padding ensures airlines maintain strong OTP ratings. Low-cost carriers introduced this practice in the 2000s as traffic surged. Today, all major airlines use it. IndiGo recently stated: “A buffer time is essential to ensure on-time flights.”

Benefits of Schedule Padding for Airlines

• Improves OTP ratings.

• Avoids DGCA penalties for delays.

• Ensures compliance with crew duty-hour regulations.

• Enhances passenger perception of punctuality.

Former Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani, however, cautions that while “realistic scheduling is better,” padding risks misleading passengers by inflating journey times.

The Passenger Experience

In 2024 alone, 2.67 million passengers faced delays of more than two hours. Yet due to padded schedules, many of these were not technically classified as “delays.” DGCA rules mandate compensation only when delays exceed two hours beyond the published schedule — making padding a convenient loophole for airlines.

Consumer rights activist Bejon Mishra calls it “a fraud on passengers,” while Airline Passengers Association president D. Sudhakar Reddy stresses the need for transparency in scheduling.

Global Comparison

In developed markets like Europe and the U.S., padding is less common thanks to advanced infrastructure. Airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates create timetables based on actual flight times, reducing the gap between scheduled and real travel durations. Aviation consultant Kapil Kaul explains that India’s infrastructure challenges make padding more widespread.

Weather and Maintenance Challenges

Apart from congestion, India’s unpredictable weather is a major disruptor. Monsoons cause delays of up to 40%, while fog in North India routinely grounds flights in winter. In January 2024 alone, fog at Delhi’s IGI Airport delayed over 500 flights.

Maintenance is another hurdle. India faces a shortage of skilled aircraft engineers, with 30% of technical delays linked to maintenance issues. SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh admits, “Safety comes first, but delays are inevitable.”

Infrastructure Improvements

The Airports Authority of India is working on upgrades like parallel taxi tracks and high-speed taxiways at Delhi and Mumbai. With modernized fleets and better airports, the reliance on padding may eventually reduce. Until then, aviation experts advise passengers to arrive at least three hours early, especially at high-traffic airports.

The Reality Check

The next time your flight arrives ahead of schedule, remember: it may not be punctuality at play, but the game of schedule padding. Airlines have turned delays into on-time arrivals — a practical solution in India’s crowded skies, but one that raises questions about transparency.