Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet is looking for a second regional base for its new Bombardier Q400 turboprops.
It is evaluating three airport options, a company spokeswoman said. The first is Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat, while the other two are "airports in south India" that can't be named yet.
Discussions are ongoing and SpiceJet is likely to announce a decision "quite soon" as the company urgently needs a second base, added the spokeswoman.
Spicejet chose Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport as the first regional base for its Q400s. The company ordered 15 of the turboprops, which are due to be delivered from later this year.
The aircraft will serve Tier II and Tier III destinations such as Aurangabad, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Indore, Madurai, Mangalore, Nagpur, Nasik, Raipur, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, and Vijayawada from Hyderabad.
SpiceJet has also ordered 30 Boeing 737-800s with deliveries are due to begin in 2014.
The carrier's main base is New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. It also has three regional bases; Bangalore's Bengaluru International Airport, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Chennai International Airport.
The carrier has 25 Boeing 737-800s and 5 Boeing 737-900ERs in service.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
