New Delhi, Oct 24: The Indian government has announced the winter schedule for domestic airlines, which will commence on October 26, 2025, and run until March 28, 2026. During this period, airlines will operate a total of 26,495 flights weekly, connecting 126 airports across the country. This marks a 5.95% increase in weekly departures compared to the previous winter schedule.

The new schedule introduces four airports to the network: New Amravati, Hissar, Purnia, and Rupsi. However, operations will be suspended at seven airports, including Aligarh, Moradabad, Chitrakoot, Bhavnagar, Ludhiana, Pakyong, and Shravasti.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that the number of weekly departures has risen from 25,610 in the Summer Schedule 2025, which included 129 airports. Despite the addition of new airports, the total number of operational airports has decreased by three in the winter schedule.

IndiGo remains the dominant airline, operating 15,104 flights per week, followed by Air India with 4,277 flights and Air India Express with 3,181. Other airlines like SpiceJet and Akasa Air have fewer departures, with 1,568 and 1,027 respectively. Regional carrier Star Air leads among smaller airlines with 538 weekly departures.

The civil aviation sector in India continues to grow rapidly, making it the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world. The number of operational airports has increased significantly from 74 in 2014 to 163 in 2025, reflecting the sector's expansion and increasing connectivity across the nation.