SpiceJet adds four planes to corner small city traffic

NEW DELHI : SpiceJet, India’s second largest budget carrier by market share, will add four brand new Bombardier turboprop aircraft to its fleet to make the most of the booming passenger traffic in the country’s smaller cities as the government prepares to roll out its ambitious regional connectivity scheme (RCS).

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With a fleet of 14 Bombardier Q400 planes, which can seat 78 passengers, SpiceJet is already one of the biggest operators of small jets in the country. It also operates the bigger Boeing 737s. Sources said the new planes will join the airline’s fleet beginning October to take advantage of the peak festive season traffic. Starting October 4, SpiceJet will add Silchar, Gorakhpur and Aizawl.

SpiceJet’s Q400 operations turned profitable last year. “The Q400s operate in sync with its Boeing flights that have brought big benefits,” said aviation expert Rajji Rai. RCS will further boost operations to smaller towns with the government offering incentives to airlines in the form of a viability-gap funding (VGF).

Air India has also announced that it would add 10 ATRs to its fleet by next March.