SpiceJet to add 5 new aircraft, increase flight frequencies

Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet on Thursday said it will add five new aircraft and increase flight frequencies to around 300 per day in the upcoming winter season.

"We will be wet-leasing five new aircraft in the winter schedule. This will allow us to expand our flight services. We will add 40 new services," SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said.

The airline has been wet-leasing aircraft to address the short-term capacity shortage and to rebuild its network.

Wet-leased deals include the services of pilots and crew. The maintenance of the aircraft is also taken care off by the leasing firm.

Ajay Singh was speaking on the sidelines of the "8th International Conference on Indian Civil Aviation & Tourism", organised here by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

According to Ajay Singh, the 40 new services will be operated on older routes which were closed due to shortage of aircraft.

"Some are domestic and some are international services. These are old routes which were closed or reduced due to shortage of aircraft. No new destination has been planed as of now," Ajay Singh elaborated.

Currently, the airline operates 20 Boeings, 2 Airbus and 14 Bombardier Q400 aircraft with around 250 daily flights.