SpiceJet has confirmed the exit of its chief commercial officer, amid a “strategic restructuring” that also sees other members of the operating and commercial teams leaving the beleaguered airline.
A brief statement from the Indian low-cost operator says the resignation – including that of commercial chief Shilpa Bhatia – is with immediate effect.
India media reports also suggest SpiceJet’s operating chief Arun Kashyap has also resigned from the airline. Both Kashyap and Bhatia were former SpiceJet executives who returned to the airline in recent years - Kashyap in 2023, and Bhatia in 2020 - after short stints at other Indian carriers.
SpiceJet’s statement does not confirm Kashyap’s resignation.
The airline has been embroiled in a string of lessor disputes and is in the process of resolving them. On 7 March it disclosed the resolution of a $49.8 million dispute with Irish lessor Echelon Ireland Madison One, which will see it add two more aircraft to its fleet.
It is the third lessor the airline has settled with in under a month, after Aercap unit Celestial Aviation and Cross Ocean Partners. In total, SpiceJet says the resolutions have helped it save Rs6.9 billion ($82.8 million).
The airline is also reportedly looking to lay off around 1,400 employees in a bid to cut costs, following SpiceJet declines to comment on the matter, but notes: “The company looks forward to adding capacity, growing rapidly and continuing to play a large role in the Indian aviation sector.”
“The company continues to see significant growth in revenue and load factor.”
