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Gurugram, 24 January, 2018: SpiceJet, the country’s favourite low-cost
carrier and the largest regional player, was today 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)
whereas 5 will be for underserved markets of Hubli (Karnataka) and Jaisalmer
(Rajasthan).
“SpiceJet has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of UDAN since the very
beginning. We are delighted to be a part of the regional connectivity scheme, which, we
believe, is an excellent initiative of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. We see
tremendous potential in the routes that we have been awarded today and look forward to
beginning operations very soon,” said Ajay Singh, CMD, SpiceJet.
SpiceJet with its fleet of 22 Bombardier Q400 aircraft, which have a seating capacity of
78, is India’s largest regional player. The airline placed an order for 50 Q400s last
year, deliveries for which will begin later this year.
Last year, SpiceJet was awarded six proposals under the first phase of the UDAN scheme
and was the only participating airline that did not seek viable gap funding from the
government. SpiceJet has launched operations on four UDAN routes that include
Mumbai-Kandla, Mumbai-Porbandar, Hyderabad-Puducherry and Jaipur-Jaisalmer.
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