SpiceJet plans to add Boeing 4-5 aircraft to its fleet

May also add three Bombardier planes as it plans to increase flight frequency on domestic and international routes

India's budget airline SpiceJet is planning to increase its fleet of 43 aircraft with 4-5 Boeing airplanes by next year. It may also add three Bombardier aircraft by the same time as it plans to increase the flight frequency to domestic and international destinations, the company's CMD Ajay Singh said in Hyderabad on Friday.

He said, "We are planning for 10 per cent increase in the current frequency which is at 320 flights per day. Recently, we have included three Bombardiers in our fleet and going to add another three by the next year. At present, we operate flights to six international destinations and preparing to operate in more countries."

With an aim to penetrate the under-served markets within the domestic network, SpiceJet has strengthened its regional connectivity in North-Eastern parts of the country by flagging off 16 new flights. The new routes include Kolkata-Silchar-Guwahati, Kolkata-Aizawl-Guwahati and Kolkata-Gorakhpur-Delhi. It will also deploy a dedicated fleet of three Q400 for the north-eastern markets.

On the connectivity from Hyderabad to other tier-II cities, Singh said, "We are considering to run flights from Hyderabad to Nagpur, Calicut and Bhubaneswar. Already, we have planned to start a flight from Hyderabad to Kolkata from this November."

The company is in talks with Airbus and Boeing to order more than 100 aircraft. The deal is likely to finalise in a couple of months, according to him.

SpiceJet has reported a net profit of Rs 149 crore during the first quarter of FY17 and it will also be making profits in the coming quarters due to the improved operational efficiency, he added.