SpiceJet
Encyclopedia
SpiceJet is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon
, India. It began service in May 2005 and by 2008, it was India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share. SpiceJet was voted as the best low-cost airline in South Asia
and Central Asia
region by Skytrax
in 2007.
. It was formed by Ajay Singh, Sanjay Malhotra and the Kansagra family. It aims to compete with Indian Railways
for those passengers who travel in the air conditioned coaches of the latter.
On 15 July 2008 billionaire Wilbur Ross
suggested he would invest in the airline. SpiceJet accepted an offer in principle from a US-based private equity
firm that would make these funds available.
Indian media baron Kalanidhi Maran
acquired 37.7% in the business in June 2010.
On December 9, 2010, SpiceJet made a firm order for 15 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 and took options to purchase a further 15.
Each aircraft in the SpiceJet fleet is named after a spice: The Boeing customer code for SpiceJet is GJ.
Gurgaon
Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital...
, India. It began service in May 2005 and by 2008, it was India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share. SpiceJet was voted as the best low-cost airline in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
region by Skytrax
Skytrax
Skytrax is a United Kingdom-based consultancy, the public face of Inflight Research Services, which has the largest airline and airport review and ranking site. It conducts research for commercial airlines...
in 2007.
History
SpiceJet is a budget airline operating in India and is a reincarnation of ModiLuftModiLuft
ModiLuft was a small airline company based in India.-History:ModiLuft was one of India's first post-deregulation airline, launched in May 1993 by the Indian industrialist S K Modi, in technical partnership with the German flag carrier Lufthansa AG...
. It was formed by Ajay Singh, Sanjay Malhotra and the Kansagra family. It aims to compete with Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
for those passengers who travel in the air conditioned coaches of the latter.
On 15 July 2008 billionaire Wilbur Ross
Wilbur Ross
Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. is an American investor known for restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investment and textiles. He specializes in leveraged buyouts and distressed businesses. In 2011, Forbes magazine listed Ross as one of the world's...
suggested he would invest in the airline. SpiceJet accepted an offer in principle from a US-based private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm that would make these funds available.
Indian media baron Kalanidhi Maran
Kalanidhi Maran
Kalanithi Maran is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Network, which is the most profitable Television network in Asia.In June 2010, he acquired Spice Jet which was the most profitable airlines in India...
acquired 37.7% in the business in June 2010.
Problems & Delays
Spicejet services has been riddled by delays. On occasions of delays, some passengers have been left stranded after repeated delay announcements followed by abrupt cancellations. . As per DGCA data, more than 17,480 passengers of Spicejet have been affected by delays of more than two hours in Jan 2011 alone. That Spicejet is the worst hit among low cost carriers is exemplified by the fact that this number stays unabated at a staggering 15,629 in July 2011.Destinations
SpiceJet operates over 243 flights daily to 33 Indian cities viz. Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bagdogra, Bhopal, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Guwahati, Goa, Indore, Hyderabad, Jammu, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mumbai, Mangalore, Nagpur, Pune, Rajahmundry, Srinagar, Trichy, Tirupati, Trivandrum, Varanasi, Vijaywada and Visakhapatnam. On the international front, SpiceJet operates flights to Kathmandu and Colombo.Fleet
As of September 2011, the SpiceJet fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 4.7 years:| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Options | Passengers (Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers... |
26 | 27 | 189 | 5 dry leased from GECAS | |
| Boeing 737-900ER Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers... |
5 | 2 | 212 | ||
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 78 | to be delivered from August 2011 |
| Total | 38 | 37 | 15 |
On December 9, 2010, SpiceJet made a firm order for 15 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 and took options to purchase a further 15.
Each aircraft in the SpiceJet fleet is named after a spice: The Boeing customer code for SpiceJet is GJ.