Hyderabad to be key base for SpiceJet’s Q-400 operations
SpiceJet and Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) will be (08-Apr-2011) the first base for SpiceJet's operations using its new fleet of Bombardier Q-400 aircraft. The aircraft will be serving tier II and tier III destinations including Aurangabad, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Indore, Madurai, Mangalore, Nagpur, Nasik, Raipur, Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Vijayawada. The Q-400 operations are expected to begin in Jul-2011. With the expansion of the network to tier II and tier III cities using the Q-400 aircraft, SpiceJet plans to develop a high frequency and point-to-point network linking Hyderabad to these cities. [more]
SpiceJet: "The Hyderabad Airport provides state of the art infrastructure support for our plans for the Q-400 aircraft. The South Central location of Hyderabad reduces flying time to any of the regional cities by 15-20 minutes, in comparison to other metros in the South. The location advantage of Hyderabad will allow us to explore and develop markets in the west, central and eastern part of the country apart from the strong consumer markets of the south. Hyderabad thus has the potential to become one of the main gateways in India and a key part of our Q-400 operations. We believe that the enormous potential in the Indian domestic market can be further tapped by enhancing regional connectivity in the country by focussing on tier II and tier III cities. We have selected the Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft from Bombardier Inc of Canada to facilitate this objective. We see a very robust and latent demand in these under-serviced sectors and expect that the value-for-money SpiceJet offering will help grow traffic significantly from the current levels," Neil Mills, CEO. Source: Company Statement, 08-Apr-2011.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited: "We are very happy with SpiceJet Chairman Shri Kalanithi Maran's decision to choose Hyderabad as the first and key base for its regional operations with the brand new fleet of Q400 aircraft. Passengers in the tier II and tier III towns in the vicinity of Hyderabad Airport will now have very good connectivity to Hyderabad. Further, the passengers will be able to enjoy a truly world class experience of transiting via Hyderabad, the World's No. 1 Airport, to other domestic and international destinations. This strengthens our plans to make Hyderabad as the leading gateway to South and Central India," Vikram Jaisinghani, CEO. Source: Company Statement, 08-Apr-2011.