Spicejet to fly 16 Non-Metro sectors from July
2nd Feb 2011 SpiceJet plans to launch its regional services from July this year & will operate flights on 16 non-metro sectors with Chennai as one of its hubs. As per a report in the Economic Times, the airline plans to have at least three bases including one each in the east and the north regions for its operations to smaller cities. SpiceJet will get the first of its 15 Bombardier Q400 (regional jet) in June and will use it to launch the services.
CEO of SpiceJet, Neil Mills said, "By the end of this year, it will have eight of these aircraft in its stable. The rest will join the fleet in 2012. Of the 15 aircraft, at least 10 are for the south Indian market and two each for the east and the north."
SpiceJet is banking on the first-mover advantage in the launch of regional services as it sees immense potential in the developing market. It is also using the strategy to counter the growing market share of its competitor, Gurgaon-based budget airline, IndiGo, that recently ordered 180 Airbus A320s and has become the No 2 airline along with Kingfisher Airlines. SpiceJet, however, is at number four in terms of market share which stands at 13.6%. It operates 169 daily flights with a fleet of 29 aircraft.
