Ghaziabad: IndiGo has cut flight frequencies on three key routes from Hindon civil terminal as soaring aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs add to the pressure on airlines. Navi Mumbai flights have been reduced from daily to four days a week, Kolkata from daily to two days and Varanasi from six days to five.IndiGo is now operating from Hindon on just five routes — Varanasi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Navi Mumbai. In Sept, Varanasi flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; Kolkata on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday; Chennai on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; Navi Mumbai on four days; and Bengaluru daily.An official said the rise in ATF prices, triggered by the West Asia crisis, had forced airlines to trim capacity. “As of Sept 1, ATF prices stood at Rs 121.3 per litre after a 5.5% hike. They were Rs 110 in July and Rs 115 in Aug,” the official said.“Fuel accounts for roughly 40% to 60% of an airline’s operating costs. IndiGo has reduced domestic capacity by 5% to 7% to cope with the losses, while Air India has cut frequencies by up to 22%,” the official added.The squeeze at Hindon, however, predates Noida International Airport’s commercial launch in June. IndiGo had started eight new routes from Hindon in July 2025, but Ahmedabad, Indore and Patna were suspended within months. Air India Express also subsequently withdrew from the terminal.Hindon, essentially an IAF facility, operates under dawn-to-dusk restrictions and has limited parking for commercial aircraft. Officials had earlier flagged these constraints as a reason for cascading delays and cancellations.The terminal now has only IndiGo and Star Air. Star Air operates to Nanded and Adampur. The terminal had been positioned as a convenient NCR airport, but its connectivity has steadily thinned as Noida airport has emerged as the region’s new aviation hub.
