Airliners-India

747-237 · Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:31 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/93909-indias-vistara-spicejet-gear-up-for-london-operations

Vistara, SpiceJet gear up for London operations

05.08.2020

Benefitting from a recently formed travel bubble agreement between India and the United Kindom which permits limited direct scheduled flights, Vistara and SpiceJet are planning to launch services to London in the coming weeks.

SpiceJet announced in a stock market filing that it has secured slots at London Heathrow for scheduled flights from India starting on September 1, tentatively through the end of the Summer 2020 season.

"The Company is also in advance discussion to secure slots for winter schedule for regular operations," SpiceJet said.

SpiceJet did not reveal its planned airport of origin in India for flights to London. It is also unclear what aircraft it will deploy given it does not have its own widebody aircraft. It recently wet-leased an A330-900 from Hi Fly (5K, Beja) and was also linked to the wet-lease of A330s from Oman Air (WY, Muscat).
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747-237 · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2020 5:31 pm Post subject:

https://simpleflying.com/spicejet-first-canada-flight/https://simpleflying.com/spicejet-first-canada-flight/

SpiceJet Operates Its First Flight To Canada

August 9, 2020

SpiceJet flew its first flight to Canada this week, carrying 352 passengers from New Delhi to Toronto. This marks the low-cost carrier’s second long-haul flight, after its recent Amsterdam flight. SpiceJet is pushing to break into the long-haul market, using wet leased A330neos from Hi Fly, and now has permission to fly to the US and UK.

The flight took off from New Delhi at 08:26 local yesterday en route to Toronto. According to FlightRadar24, the plane stopped at Lisbon for two hours before continuing to Toronto. However, SpiceJet’s statements say the flight was non-stop to North America.

While SpiceJet originally had plans to lease A330s from Oman Air, it quickly shifted to signing a deal with Hi Fly instead. However, according to statements in Moneycontrol, SpiceJet is yet to receive final permission for its wet lease agreement with Hi Fly, which is why flights are still not operating with SpiceJet flight numbers. This arrangement will likely be finalized soon since SpiceJet plans to continue flying repatriation flights.
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747-237 · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2020 5:34 pm Post subject:

https://www.cnbctv18.com/aviation/vistara-spicejet-all-set-for-flights-to-heathrow-as-slots-to-be-given-in-coming-weeks-6605491.htm

Vistara, SpiceJet all set for flights to Heathrow as slots to be given in coming weeks

August 11, 2020

While Vistara will be given the slot at the London Heathrow Airport from August 16, SpiceJet will have its slot from September 1, officials said.

SpiceJet has received its slot to operate SG 091 from New Delhi to London and this is expected to arrive at 15:25 hours. The same aircraft will then depart from London as flight SG 092 at 17:25 hours for New Delhi.
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747-237 · Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:02 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/94228-indias-spicejet-to-add-an-a340-makeshift-freighter

SpiceJet to add an A340 makeshift freighter

18.08.2020

SpiceJet will add an A340 freighter to its existing cargo fleet of three B737-700(BDSF)s, two B737-800(BCF)s, and three DHC-8-Q400 makeshift freighters.

The Indian budget carrier said in a statement the incoming quadjet will be primarily deployed on long-haul routes to Europe, the CIS, and Africa.

"The induction of our first wide-body cargo aircraft will be a huge game changer in our journey as the country's largest cargo operator," SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said. "We are confident that our long-haul cargo flights would further help boost Indian businesses, farmers, pharma companies providing them seamless access to newer markets."

As of March 25, 2020, SpiceJet has operated over 5,600 flights transporting over 31,000 tonnes of cargo.
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747-237 · Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:51 am Post subject:

https://www.news18.com/news/auto/spicejet-operates-maiden-a340-freighter-flight-from-amsterdam-to-mumbai-2811927.html

SpiceJet Operates Maiden A340 Freighter Flight From Amsterdam to Mumbai

AUGUST 23, 2020

SpiceJet has operated its maiden long-haul cargo flight with a widebody Airbus A340 freighter aircraft to the city from the Dutch capital Amsterdam, making it the first and only Indian carrier to operate non-stop cargo services from Europe on a dedicated freighter. The Gurugram-based airline, in a release on Saturday, also said that the same A340 cargo plan will perform its next flight to Sudan from Mumbai on Sunday. SpiceJet has a dedicated fleet of nine freighter aircraft consisting of five Boeing 737s, three Bombardier Q-400s and one Airbus A340.

"SpiceJet operated its first-ever long-haul cargo flight from Amsterdam to Mumbai using its wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft on Saturday. The flight, operated by a widebody A340 freighter, departed from the Dutch capital at 10.50 PM (local time) on August 21, and reached Mumbai at 10.54 AM (local time) on Sunday, carrying over 14 tonnes of cargo to the city," the release said. The aircraft will now operate from Mumbai to Khartoum in Sudan on Sunday with 40 tonnes of cargo, the airline said, adding that SpiceJet has transported over 31,800 tonnes of cargo since nationwide lockdown began in late March.

"Today is a proud moment, we successfully operated our first wide-body long-haul flight from Europe. The induction of our first Airbus A340 cargo aircraft has significantly enhanced our operational capability and will allow us to operate non-stop cargo services across the globe to destinations in Europe, Africa and CIS countries," said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet.
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747-237 · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2020 8:57 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/94688-indias-spicejet-to-debut-seaplane-operations-in-4q20

SpiceJet to debut seaplane operations in 4Q20

31.08.2020

SpiceJet will "likely" launch its long-touted seaplane operations in the state of Gujarat on October 31, 2020, the ANI newswire has reported.

Flights will operate between Ahmedabad, the state's largest city, and Kevadia, the site of the Statue of Unity, the world's largest statue, which commemorates one of modern India's founding fathers, Sardar Patel. Services on the 175-kilometre route are scheduled to run 4x daily. Aircraft will depart from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad and from the Narmada river in Kevadia. Ticket prices will be fixed at around INR4,800 rupees (USD65) one-way.

SpiceJet plans to deploy an unspecified 19-seater aircraft on the route. The airline did not respond to ch-aviation's request for further details about its seaplane fleet plans.

Earlier, the airline trialled Quest Aircraft Kodiak seaplanes in India, although the type only seats up to 9 passengers.

Seaplane services in Gujarat have long been an ambition of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who served as the Chief Minister of the state prior to taking national power. The Statue of Unity, completed in October 2018, is also his brainchild.

SpiceJet has long shown an interest in extending its operations to the seaplane market, which despite its size and geography, is practically non-existent. In mid-2019, Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh told ch-aviation that the airline was hoping to launch seaplane operations on government-subsidised routes under the UDAN scheme within the next 12 months.
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The_Goat · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 12:20 am Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 8:21 am Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2020 4:03 pm Post subject:

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/companies/spicejet-to-fly-non-stop-to-london-from-delhi-mumbai-from-december-4-5924461.html

SpiceJet to fly non-stop to London from Delhi, Mumbai from December 4

05 October 2020

SpiceJet will launch non-stop flights connecting Delhi and Mumbai with London’s Heathrow airport from December 4, becoming the third Indian airline, and the first low-cost carrier, to fly to the British capital.

These flights will operate under the air bubble agreement with UK, the airline said in a statement on October 5. "The airline will operate thrice-a-week to London including twice from Delhi and once-a-week from Mumbai," the airline said.

The low cost airline's announcement comes less than two months after Vistara launched its maiden flight to London. The two airlines, along with state carrier Air India, continue to operate charter flights to London.

SpiceJet in fact had claimed to be the first Indian low cost carrier to fly to London, when it operated the charter flight in August, to repatriate Indians.

SpiceJet will use an Airbus A330-900 Neo aircraft for these flights. Sources added that the airline was in talks with Portuguese charter operator Hifly to take these aircraft on wet lease. The Indian airline though hasn't shared details.

The A330-900 Neo is a 371-seater, twin-aisle aircraft that has a configuration of 353 economy and 18 business class seats.

"This is a huge milestone for us and I am proud of the fact that SpiceJet will be the first Indian low-cost airline to operate non-stop long-haul flights to the UK. London is one of the busiest long-haul destinations from India and our convenient flight timings should suit the convenience of our passengers perfectly,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet.

SpiceJet has launched the new service with a 'promotional return fare' of Rs 53,555 on both the Delhi-London and Mumbai-London routes. "The one-way starting fare will be Rs 25,555 on Delhi-London and Mumbai-London routes, and Rs 29,555 on London-Delhi and London-Mumbai routes.

In comparison, Vistara, which deployed its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route, had one-way fares from Delhi to London, start from Rs 29,912 for economy class.

Earlier this year, SpiceJet was designated as an India scheduled carrier to fly to the UK and the US. It had secured slots in London's Heathrow Airport from September 1. While this was initially valid till October 23, the airline said that the Airport had later extended the slots for the entire winter schedule.
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747-237 · Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:30 am Post subject:

SpiceJet adds London service from Dec 2020

8 October 2020

SpiceJet from December 2020 is launching scheduled service to the UK, with Delhi – London Heathrow and Mumbai – London Heathrow route scheduled, with leased Airbus A330-900neo aircraft.

Delhi – London Heathrow eff 04DEC20 1 weekly
SG9594 DEL1300 – 1730LHR 330 57
SG9595 LHR1930 – 0755+1DEL 330 15

Mumbai – London Heathrow eff 06DEC20 1 weekly
SG9596 BOM1245 – 1730LHR 330 1
SG9597 LHR1930 – 0845+1BOM 330 7

Source: Airlineroute.net
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747-237 · Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2020 9:45 am Post subject:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/spicejet-to-have-two-daily-seaplane-flights-between-ahmedabad-statue-of-unity/articleshow/78911528.cms

SpiceJet to have two daily seaplane flights between Ahmedabad & Statue of Unity

Oct 28, 2020

SpiceJet will operate two daily seaplane flights between Ahmedabad Sabarmati riverfront and the Statue of Unity in Kevadia from Saturday (Oct 31), the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

The all-inclusive one-way fares will start from Rs 1,500 under the UDAN scheme. The cash-strapped airline’s subsidiary, Spice Shuttle, will be using a 15-seater Twin Otter 300 aircraft that has been wet-leased from Maldivian Aero, Maldives’ national airline.

SpiceJet has won 18 seaplane routes under the government's UDAN (ude desh ka aam nagrik) scheme and will begin with Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity.

SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said: “The launch of our first seaplane service will be remembered as one of the most notable events in the history of Indian aviation… Our seaplane service between the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity in Kevadia will cut down travel time to just about half an hour and will be a unique, exhilarating flying experience. Infrastructural challenges have been a key deterrent for providing air connectivity to smaller towns and cities. With the ability to land on a small water body, seaplanes are the perfect flying machines that can effectively connect the remotest parts of India into the mainstream aviation network without the high cost of building airports and runways.”

The airline said seaplane tickets will be available on www.spiceshuttle.com from Friday (Oct 30) onwards.

SpiceJet has conducted seaplane trials in India since 2017 in Nagpur, Guwahati and Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty. The 18 seaplane routes the airline has got under UDAN include: Ahmedabad-Kevadia (Sabarmati River Front to Statue of Unity, Sardar Sarovar), Agatti-Minicoy and Agatti-Kavaratti.
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5Patel · Member Joined: 02 Oct 2014 Posts: 113

Spiderguy252 · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:56 am Post subject:

Yeah, what is with that lettering?
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Yeah.

HAWK21M · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 4:54 pm Post subject:

SpiceJet might face outstanding payment disputes after commencing their Europe sector which could lead to Aircraft being seized.
Too risky
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747-237 · Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2020 8:26 am Post subject:

SpiceJet has withdrawn 5 x 737-800s (VT-SYM, VT-SYG, VT-SYL, VT-SYC, VT-SYE) from the fleet.
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747-237 · Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2020 7:56 am Post subject:

SpiceJet has withdrawn another 737-800, VT-SYF, from the fleet.
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747-237 · Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:29 pm Post subject:

SpiceJet has withdrawn 2 x 737-700s, VT-SYO & VT-SYP, from the fleet today.
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5Patel · Member Joined: 02 Oct 2014 Posts: 113

justbala · Member Joined: 11 Jan 2007 Posts: 1864 Location: Bangalore

747-237 · Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:08 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/97869-spicejet-suspends-seaplane-ops-for-maintenance

SpiceJet suspends seaplane ops for maintenance

01.12.2020

SpiceJet suspended its only seaplane route on November 27, 2020, due to the maintenance of the DHC-6-300 it has wet-leased from Maldivian. Services are due to restart on December 15, 2020, although this has yet to be reflected in the carrier's internet booking engine.

As first reported by the Hindustan Times, the maintenance work was pre-planned, and SpiceJet has not sold any tickets for the period of suspension. The Indian carrier launched the route from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia on October 31, 2020. Services are formally sold by SpiceShuttle, the carrier's wholly-owned subsidiary which does not, however, have its own Air Operator's Certificate.

The aircraft, 8Q-ISC (msn 321), was ferried via Goa, Kochi Int'l, and Hanimaadhoo to Malé over the course of November 28-29, 2020, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. It will undergo the required maintenance at the Maldivian gateway.

SpiceJet said it planned to open its own seaplane maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in Ahmedabad, which would obviate the need to ferry the turboprop back to the Maldives for maintenance.

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747-237 · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 6:07 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/98384-indias-spicejet-defers-london-flights-due-to-lockdown

SpiceJet defers London flights due to lockdown

16.12.2020

SpiceJet has indefinitely postponed its European debut due to a renewed lockdown in the United Kingdom spurred on by a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The Indian carrier intended to launch flights from each of Delhi Int'l and Mumbai Int'l to London Heathrow on December 4. They were to have been operated 2x weekly from Delhi and weekly from Mumbai under a wet-lease agreement with Hi Fly using an A330-900. No revised launch date has yet been revealed.

The United Kingdom will become SpiceJet's first intercontinental destination once launched. For the week starting December 21, the low-cost carrier deploys the bulk of its capacity - 91.2% of all scheduled seats - on flights within India. According to the ch-aviation capacities module, its limited international network currently covers just six destinations: Dubai Int'l, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhaka, Ras al Khaimah Int'l, and Chittagong. Before the COVID-related travel restrictions came into force, SpiceJet also operated to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong Int'l, Colombo Int'l, and other destinations in the Gulf.

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747-237 · Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:13 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/98592-delta-aims-to-block-spicejets-us-plans-demands-reciprocity

Delta aims to block SpiceJet's US plans, demands reciprocity

22.12.2020

Delta Air Lines has petitioned the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to deny SpiceJet exemption authority and a foreign air carrier permit until the Indian authorities allow Delta to codeshare on more flights to the country.

"Delta objects on the basis of a lack of reciprocity afforded by the Government of India and urges the Department to delay granting approval of the requested authority until such time as the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation approves certain pending codesharing requests by Delta, consistent with the open skies US-India Air Transportation Agreement," the American carrier said.

Delta claimed the Indian government had ordered it to suspend codesharing on Air France-KLM services to India effective July 2020. While in November, "after significant engagement by Delta and the Department", the authorities reauthorised codesharing on Air France-operated flights, Delta remains banned from doing so on services flown by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol).

However, SpiceJet replied that while it understood Delta's grievances, they were insufficient to halt the Indian LCC's own plans.

"SpiceJet is empathetic to Delta’s stated frustration with the process it has faced. Indeed, SpiceJet has placed an inquiry with the Ministry and Directorate General as to the status of Delta’s request with KLM, as was clearly desired by Delta through its objection in the instant proceeding... Delta’s attempt to use the SpiceJet Application as a means to address its unrelated concerns about its request to codeshare with KLM, while understandable, is misdirected," the airline said.

SpiceJet underlined that Delta's woes relate to codeshared operations and not to the carrier's own traffic rights to India. Indeed, Delta launched a direct New York JFK-Mumbai Int'l route in December 2019. Flights have been suspended since mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to this imbalance, the airline pointed out that delaying its application would do it disproportionately more harm than the delays Delta has suffered.

"As noted in its application, SpiceJet will likely be requesting wet-lease approval as well, which will afford the Department the opportunity to evaluate rights more similar to those at issue with Delta and KLM," the airline said.

SpiceJet hopes to target the passenger repatriation and cargo sectors with in-house B737 services from New York JFK to Delhi Int'l, set to launch as soon as possible. The airline indicated that it could also wet-lease aircraft, particularly in the initial operations phase, until the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
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747-237 · Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 5:56 am Post subject:

SpiceJet will restart its seaplane services on December 27 from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, it announced in a statement on December 18, with two daily flights on the route.

As reported, the airline suspended its only seaplane route on November 27 due to maintenance on the DHC-6-300 it wet-leased from Maldivian (Q2, Malé). Since a maintenance facility is still under construction in Ahmedabad, the aircraft, 8Q-ISC (msn 321), had to be sent to the Maldives. Flightradar24 ADS-B data showed it was still in Malé as of December 28.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/98642-indias-spicejet-seeks-debt-restructure-68mn-loan-report
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747-237 · Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 7:49 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/99001-delta-air-lines-withdraws-objection-to-spicejets-facp

Delta Air Lines withdraws objection to SpiceJet's FACP

05.01.2021

Having received approval from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to codeshare with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol), Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) has now withdrawn its objection to SpiceJet's application for US exemption authority and a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP).

The American carrier previously argued that it had been treated unfairly by the Indian authorities. Therefore, it requested the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to withhold SpiceJet's exemption and FACP to enforce reciprocal treatment of Delta by the DGCA.

In particular, Delta objected to the DGCA's refusal to permit it to codeshare on flights to India operated by its Skyteam partners. The Indian authorities ordered the US airline to suspend codesharing with Air France-KLM in June 2020 but subsequently permitted codesharing on Air France flights in November 2020. Since then, Delta has continued to demand permission to codeshare on KLM's flights.

"Earlier this week, Delta received final approval from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation to codeshare to and from India on partner KLM flights consistent with the rights found in the US-India Air Transportation Agreement," Delta's Director (Regulatory and International Affairs) said in a letter to the DOT.
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747-237 · Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 5:06 pm Post subject:

A321 freighter (9H-LIS) leased from HiFly Malta.

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747-237 · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 6:28 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/99566-indias-spicejet-hopes-to-resume-max-flights-by-end-1q21

SpiceJet hopes to resume MAX flights by end-1Q21

19.01.2021

SpiceJet is hoping to recertify its B737-8 aircraft and resume the type's operations by the end of the first quarter of 2021, sources told CNBC-TV18 broadcaster.

The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has yet to issue any official guidance on the recertification of the Boeing narrowbodies currently in the country. According to sources, the Indian regulator is waiting for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to issue final clearance rather than rely on the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) November directive.

That said, EASA is expected to greenlight the B737 MAX in its jurisdiction shortly. The European regulator published a draft directive recertifying the type in late November, mostly following steps taken by the FAA. Once the European regulator clears the MAX, the DGCA plans to conduct its own safety checks.

To alleviate the regulator's concerns on pilot training, Boeing last year set up a B737 MAX simulator at CAE's facility near New Delhi.

SpiceJet has thirteen grounded B737-8s. It also has an additional 129 units on direct order from Boeing and plans to take a total of 155 aircraft, including the thirteen already delivered. It is the only operator of the B737 MAX in India.

So far, the only airlines to have restarted scheduled B737 MAX operations are GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Aeroméxico, Copa Airlines, and American Airlines. WestJet and United Airlines plan to do so shortly. Besides EASA, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has also not yet cleared the MAX to return to commercial service. It has yet to issue even an indicative timeline or procedure for doing so.
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