Spicejet To Expand Domestic Network in March

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet announced the launch of 20 new domestic flights which will start operations from March 29.

The new flights will operate daily on routes including Guwahati-Patna, Hyderabad-Mangaluru, Bengaluru-Jabalpur, Patna-Varanasi and Mumbai-Aurangabad.

"In line with SpiceJet's commitment to enhance regional connectivity, the airline will be the first and only carrier in the country to launch non-stop flight services on the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) routes of Varanasi-Patna and Amritsar-Patna," an official statement said.

With these new services, the airline will now operate a total of 52 flights connecting 12 cities under the regional connectivity scheme.

SpiceJet said that it will also enhance its operations with additional frequencies on the routes of Mumbai-Bagdogra, Mumbai-Chennai, Hyderabad-Mangaluru and Guwahati-Delhi sectors.

"As we add newer cities and flights to our network and provide affordable air travel options to more and more people, our focus remains firmly on connecting the unconnected parts of the country besides enhancing connectivity between metros and non-metros," said Chief Commercial Officer Shilpa Bhatia.

SpiceJet will deploy a mix of Boeing 737-800 and Bombardier Q400 aircraft on these routes.

Earlier last year, SpiceJet had said it has re-started operations of three Boeing 737 freighter aircraft that were grounded.

The three planes were grounded due to a "potential defect" after an advice from Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) that had converted these aircraft into freighters.

SpiceJet had reported a net profit of Rs 73.2 crore in the third quarter ended December 2019 and said Boeing has offered an interim compensation with respect to grounding of MAX planes, a development that has substantially hit the airline's profitability.

In the December quarter, SpiceJet signed a definitive codeshare agreement with Emirates as well as a memorandum of understanding with Gulf Air for interline and codeshare agreements.