Jet Airways To Lease SpiceJet's Bombardier Q400

Tuesday, 6th January 2015 at 07:12am

The strategic move was primarily triggered by Vistara's recent acquisition of its permit to operate flights from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Vistara is a new full-service airline set up through a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. The carrier currently operates from its hub at Indira Ghandi International Airport in New Delhi.

Jet Airways is planning to infiltrate the same routes that Vistara is also planning to serve when it commences operations on January 9, 2015. The Mumbai-based airline is eyeing to lease a fleet of turboprops, particularly the Bombardier Q400, from SpiceJet.

Vistara is poised to fly to lucrative destinations across India from its hub in New Delhi using narrow-body A320 aircraft. The airline currently operates a fleet of two A320 jetliners, while a third is all leased from BOC Aviation.

During its maiden operations, it will initially connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad with New Delhi. The new venture was announced in June 2013 by Tata Sons and the airline was established only in 2014.

The airline will compete head on with Jet Airways and state flag carrier, Air India�"both full-service carriers.

The planned inaugural flights on January 9 will launch two inaugural routes from New Delhi, New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Ahmenabad simultaneously.

The inaugural routes are also the same routes that Jet Airways are currently serving and these are considered lucrative routes. However, the turboprops that Jet will lease from SpiceJet will be deployed on routes that require smaller aircraft such as the Bombardier Q400.

Jet Airways has started recruiting pilots who have extensive experience in turboprops operations such as the Bombardier Q400.

SpiceJet is reportedly having a hard time in its payment obligations to its lessors, financial institutions, and service providers like airport operators across the country. In fact, the Airports Authority of India has given the airline a 10-day extension to fulfill its payment obligations until January 31, 2015.

SpiceJet is the only Indian carrier that operates a fleet of Bombardier Q400 turboprops.

By: Pete Lee.