Domestic low-cost, no frills airline SpiceJet has identified destinations such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Southeast Asia and Saarc countries for its flights. The airline, which will be completing five years of domestic operations on May 23, 2010, will become eligible to start international service. It said all the destinations reached within four hours would be on its radar.
SpiceJet will compete with existing international low-fare airline Air India Express and full-service carriers such as Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, who also operate on the UAE, Southeast Asia and Saarc routes. “As and when we start international operations, we will start with flights to the UAE, South east Asia and Saarc countries,” Samyukth Sridharan, chief commerical officer, SpiceJet, said. “We are planning to start international operations after we receive the delivery of two of the 12 Boeings 737-800 aircraft ordered in May,” he said.
The airline has placed an order for 12 Boeings 737-800 for which delivery will start from February 2010. The company plans to induct one aircraft per quarter between 2010 and 2012. The airline operates over 120 flights per day has a fleet of 19 Boeing 737s, of which 14 are 737-800 and five are 737-900ER (extended range).
Sridharan said considering the combination of aircraft in the company’s fleet, international destinations within four-hour range would be comfortable. There are no plans to start with long haul flights, he added.
The aircraft have maximum range of 5,400-5,800 kilometres and the destinations in the UAE; Southeast Asia and Saarc countries can easily be covered. The airline plans to start international operations after it receives the delivery of first two Boeing in February and May, next year.
Spice Jet, which has around 11 per cent market share in the domestic aviation industry is also looking to break even on the operations front this financial year, Sridharan said.
Source: Financial Chronicle
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