SpiceJet on Wednesday made a huge announcement with the plan to commence flight operations to Lakshadweep as well as to Ayodhya.
Addressing the shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting, SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh said it would deploy a large chunk of the funds worth Rs 2,250 crore to grow the airline and emphasised that the latest fund infusion will help the airline become stronger.
Headquartered in Gurugram, the low-cost airline has 39 aircraft in operations while 26 were on the ground, as per data available on fleet tracking website Planespotter as of January 7, 2024.
The airline has exclusive rights under the government’s regional connectivity scheme for Lakshadweep, and will soon launch its air services to the union territory, Singh told shareholders in the meeting.
Notably, Singh’s mention of the Lakshadweep flights comes amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and the Maldives.
After the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lakshadweep, derogatory comments were made by some deputy ministers of the Maldives against India.
Subsequently, there have been calls to boycott the Maldives, which had emerged as a hot destination for Indian leisure travelers post COVID-19 pandemic, as per some industry bodies and travel booking platforms
Lakshadweep’s new airport at Minicoy
The Indian government is planning to build a new airfield at Minicoy Island, which is one of the 36 islands of India’s smallest Union Territory (UT), to cater to both commercial and military aircraft.
The plan is to have a joint airfield that would be capable of operating fighter jets, military transport planes, and commercial aircraft,” government sources told the media.
Further, the development of the airstrip will promote tourism around Lakshadweep and it will strengthen the surveillance capabilities of India over the Arabian Sea and Indian Pacific Sea.
At present, there is only Agatti airport in Lakshadweep, which is roughly 300km away from Minicoy.