SpiceJet has been awarded 17 proposals and 20 new sectors under the second round of bidding for the Government of India’s UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme.
Out of these 20, 15 will cater to unserved markets of Kannur (Kerala), Darbhanga (Bihar), Ozar (Nashik), Pakyong (Sikkim), Kishangarh (Rajasthan), Lilabari (Assam), Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu), Bokaro (Jharkhand) and Solapur (Maharashtra), while five will be for underserved markets of Hubli (Karnataka) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan).
In 2017, SpiceJet was awarded six proposals under the first phase of the UDAN scheme. The carrier has launched operations on four UDAN routes that include Mumbai-Kandla, Mumbai-Porbandar, Hyderabad-Puducherry and Jaipur-Jaisalmer.
SpiceJet has a fleet of 22 Bombardier Q400 aircraft, which have a seating capacity of 78. The low-cost airline placed an order for 50 Q400s last year, deliveries for which will commence this year.
“SpiceJet has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of UDAN since the very beginning. We see tremendous potential in the routes that we have been awarded today and look forward to beginning operations very soon,” says Ajay Singh, CMD at SpiceJet.
