New Delhi, Sept. 8 -- Global aviation works with two seasons: Northern Summer, which starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Saturday of October, and Northern Winter, which covers the remainder of the year. With much fanfare, the regulators declare the allotted slots and operational airports for each season. However, slot utilisation has remained poor over the years, with only a handful of airlines utilising their allotted slots.

A look at the data released by the regulator and adjusted on a weekly basis shows that this year has been no different. The average slot utilisation for three months is just over 87%, with a discrepancy between usage, which varies from 35% on the low side to 94% on the high side.

An airport slot...