The Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, has cleared the proposal for allowing SpiceJet, the Delhi-based low-cost airline, to start international operations.
Official sources told Business Line that the Ministry of Civil Aviation will now write to the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to allow the airline to start operations on specific routes.
The airline meets the Government criteria for starting international operations as it completes five years of operations in May and has a fleet of more than 20 aircraft. The airline is likely to start its international operations with flights to Kathmandu, Dhaka and Colombo some time in June, sources in the DGCA said, pointing out it takes some time to get manuals and other procedures approved for starting the operations.Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher, Air India and Air India Express are the other Indian carriers permitted to operate abroad from India, while about 70 international airlines fly regularly to India.
SpiceJet will connect 19 Indian cities from April 15 when it starts daily flights to Agartala. Since its first flight in May 2005, the airline has attracted considerable investor interest. In 2005, the US-based private equity investor W.L. Ross invested Rs 345 crore in the company. Currently, some investors, including Religare, are said to be interested in picking up a stake in the airline
It reported a net profit of Rs 108.9 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 against a loss of Rs 18 crore a year before.
Source : The Hindu Business news
Official sources told Business Line that the Ministry of Civil Aviation will now write to the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to allow the airline to start operations on specific routes.
The airline meets the Government criteria for starting international operations as it completes five years of operations in May and has a fleet of more than 20 aircraft. The airline is likely to start its international operations with flights to Kathmandu, Dhaka and Colombo some time in June, sources in the DGCA said, pointing out it takes some time to get manuals and other procedures approved for starting the operations.Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher, Air India and Air India Express are the other Indian carriers permitted to operate abroad from India, while about 70 international airlines fly regularly to India.
SpiceJet will connect 19 Indian cities from April 15 when it starts daily flights to Agartala. Since its first flight in May 2005, the airline has attracted considerable investor interest. In 2005, the US-based private equity investor W.L. Ross invested Rs 345 crore in the company. Currently, some investors, including Religare, are said to be interested in picking up a stake in the airline
It reported a net profit of Rs 108.9 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 against a loss of Rs 18 crore a year before.
Source : The Hindu Business news
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