Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet is poised to take delivery of its first four Bombardier Q400 turboprops, part of a 15 aircraft order placed last December.
The airline said that it will begin taking delivery of the Q400s this month. As part of their introduction, it has announced three new routes for launch in September and October on which it will deploy the aircraft.
SpiceJet's service from Vizag to Tirupat will start on 21 September, while a service from Hyderabad to Mangalore will commence on 30 September. The carrier's service from Hyderabad to Aurangabad will begin on 1 October.
SpiceJet is also adding services within its existing network using the Q400s. The company will operate direct flights from Hyderabad to Goa, Madurai, Nagpur and Pune, and from Bangalore to Vizag.
"We decided to strategically focus on improving air connectivity in Tier II and Tier III cities as we believe there is a large market in India which is yet to be touched by the benefits of the aviation revolution," said Neil Mills, SpiceJet's CEO.
Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport will be the first base for its Q400s. It plans to identify a second regional base for the turboprops with three airports options currently under consideration. The first is Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat, while the other two are "airports in south India".
In addition to the 15 firm orders, it has options for another 15 aircraft.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
