HYDERABAD: Low frills carrier SpiceJet has said it is planning to add about three Bombardiers and 4 to 5 Boeings by the end of the current fiscal as it wants to increase its daily flights by 10 per cent and also introduce new international destinations.
“We have 17 planes for regional connectivity. Spicejet is a major player in regional connectivity space. Few weeks back, we have added three Bombardiers. We will be adding three more in the current financial year,” Ajay Singh CMD of SpiceJet told reporters on the sidelines of a Ficci Ladies Organisation programme here today.
“We will be adding 4 or 5 aircraft this year. They will mostly be Boeings,” he said. Currently, SpiceJet is having a fleet of 43 aircraft operating 320 flights a day. Replying to a query, Singh said within next few weeks they will be adding 2 to 3 international destinations. Currently, it operates to six countries. “We are flying to six countries as of now. We are looking at more options. In the next few weeks, we will announce some more routes. We will be announcing two to three destinations more. Our strategy is to operate in 4 hour-window journey,” he said. On its proposed order, the CMD said they are talking to both Airbus and Boeing for placing an order of over 100 aircraft. The deal will be finalised in a month, he said, adding that the whole order will either go to Boeing or Airbus. “We are going to finalise in a month. It will be either Boeing or Airbus. We will not be rushed into a decision. It will not be mix of both. It has to be done at right price. So, we have to be very careful. We have closed many issues related to aircraft purchase. It could be more than 100 aircraft,” he said. He said the budget airline is also mulling to operate flights from Hyderabad to Tier-II cities like Nagpur, Calicut and Bhubaneswar. The Airline has continuously been making profits for the few quarters on the back of operational efficiency, he claimed.—PTI