SpiceJet is to add five 90-seater Q400 aircraft to its Bombardier fleet — three will be inducted in the next ten days and two in June. SpiceJet’s fleet expansion comes at a time when there is an aviation capacity shortfall in India, owing to the Jet Airways crisis and grounding of Boeing 737 Max.
Last week, the low-cost carrier announced plans to add 16 Boeing 737-800 aircraft to its fleet. The airline plans to import the new aircraft on dry lease and has applied to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Subject to regulatory approvals, the aircraft will join SpiceJet fleet in the next few days.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said: “As part of our efforts to augment capacity and minimize passenger inconvenience, SpiceJet will induct five more Q400s in addition to the 16 B737s we announced last week.
The sudden reduction of aviation capacity should in no way hamper air connectivity to the smaller towns and cities of India and as the country’s largest regional operator, SpiceJet will make all possible efforts in this direction.”
SpiceJet’s new inductions aim to bring down current flight cancellations and cater to the airline’s international and domestic services.
Natasha Nitturkar