In addition to flights to America, SpiceJet is aims to also start flying to Europe, more specifically the United Kingdom. In the British Indian Air Services Agreement, SpiceJet has been designated as an airline authorized to operate scheduled services between both countries.
The Indian low cost carrier announced the desire to open a route to Europe on Friday. On Thursday, SpiceJet released a similar statement, only regarding flights between India and the United States.
The announcements clearly reflect the intercontinental aspirations of the airline. The privately-owned SpiceJet wants to compete with state-owned Air India, which has been the only Indian airline to operate long-haul flights since the bankruptcy of Jet Airways in 2019.
SpiceJet’s current route network includes 52 destinations within India and twelve medium-haul international destinations.
SpiceJet’s fleet consists of Boeing 737s and Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft. However, SpiceJet has plans to purchase widebody aircraft in order to commence long-haul operations.
It is not known when SpiceJet wants to start flying lonh-haul. Regular international air traffic to and from India has been shut down since the end of March, due to the corona crisis and India’s travel restrictions. Repatriation flights and special charters do take place.