Low-cost carrier, SpiceJet, which has around 12% market share, is looking at expanding its capacity in the domestic market even as it is awaiting permission to fly on international routes from the civil aviation ministry. Samyukth Sridharan, chief commercial officer, SpiceJet said that the company will get delivery of four new aircraft by end of this year and three new planes by next year. ?We are looking at adding more frequency in the routes already operated by us,? he said.
On the horizon could be busy sectors connecting major metros and mini-metros of the country like New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. This is on back of recovery in the airline passengers, which recorded a jump of around 23% in January 2010 compared to the same period year ago. Sridharan added that the airline could also look at tapping into Tier II and Tier III cities, which are still not serviced by it. Though he said that the airline has identified gaps, Sridharan refused to indicate the cities where SpiceJet could start operations.
With the recovery in airline traffic, the company had recorded a profit of Rs 105 crore in quarter ending December 2009 compared to a net loss in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Talking about the airline?s international expansion plans, Sridharan said that the company is expecting to get the go-ahead from DGCA in a month and a half. ?We will possibly start our international operations in 2010,? he said.