European connect: SpiceJet links Amritsar and Italy with one-stop flights

SpiceJet has started scheduled flights to Europe for the first time, connecting Amritsar in Punjab to two cities in Italy, The Times of India reported.

The budget carrier had operated several medium and long-haul charters to Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. An airline official said the airline noticed significant demand on some of those routes.

SpiceJet is connecting Amritsar with Rome Fiumicino with a Boeing 737 Max twice a week and will also fly the plane between Amritsar and Milan Bergamo thrice weekly. The airline official said that these flights would have a 40-minute stopover in Georgia's capital Tbilisi to allow a new operating crew to take charge during their onward and return journeys.

"We used to operate a lot of charters to North America and Europe during Covid. There is a significant demand to travel on some of those routes on which we used to operate charters. Hence we have started scheduled Italy flights (with a technical halt for fuelling and crew change) from Wednesday. This is the first time we will be operating regular scheduled flights to Europe," the official told TOI.

Last week, SpiceJet received DGCA's approval to wet lease five Boeing 737 Max planes for up to 6 months. A wet lease arrangement allows an airliner to lease the operating crew and engineers to another operator, usually to tackle supply constraints and curb airfares.

SpiceJet recently said that it had cleared all outstanding dues reflecting the airline's improved cash flows in recent times. It also expects to receive an additional Rs 1,000 crore loan under the government's amended emergency credit line guarantee scheme for airlines.