SpiceJet to add 23 new aircraft

SpiceJet Limited, a low-cost airline, is planning to add 23 new aircraft to its fleet by 2008. Following this, it will operate more than 250 flights to around 24 destinations, offering over 35,000 seats per day.

Company's associate vice-president (marketing and planning), Sanjay Kumar, said that the airline would be adding 5 aircraft by this year end, 10 by 2007 and 8 more by 2008. Currently, the airline has 6 aircraft that make 49 flights to 11 destinations daily.

Kumar told mediapersons here on Thursday that SpiceJet was in talks with Exim Bank for financing the new aircraft, estimated to cost about $2 billion.

Funding arrangements were expected to be finalised by this year end. Stating that SpiceJet wanted to make Hyderabad an important destination for the airline, Kumar said that the company would be starting flights from Hyderabad to Tirupati and to Kolkata by this year end.

Besides, it would be increasing its flights between Hyderabad and Delhi from the existing two to three and from Hyderabad to Mumbai from one to two per day.

Replying to questions, he said that the airline had recorded the highest load factor of 86 per cent since its launch.

It had also registered the lowest cancellation compared with its competitors.