SpiceJet is expanding commercial operations at its new UAE hub, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) International, adding more Indian cities to its network and increasing frequencies to key destinations on the Subcontinent.
The Indian budget airline, which launched its UAE hub in November, has added Mumbai, Cochin, Amritsar, Lucknow and Jaipur to its network, reflecting what it said was increasing demand despite the general depression in the industry.
The move came as Wizz Air Abu Dhabi launched its maiden flight on Friday and the UAE’s largest low-cost airline, Air Arabia, announced a resumption of flights to Qatar.
SpiceJet said it is increasing frequencies on its Delhi-Ras Al Khaimah route and will introduce more services “in the coming months”.
Ajay Singh, managing director of SpiceJet, said the new destinations show that the airline is “successfully able to counter the overall decrease in aviation activity”.
“SpiceJet has flown with the highest occupancy of over 90% in India for a record five years now, which is a testament to our continued popularity,” Mr Singh said. “The addition of our new flights to Ras Al Khaimah will both meet existing requirements for flights to and from the UAE and India as well as help fuel new demand.”
Sanjay Khanna, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said that SpiceJet is playing a “major role” in the hub’s expansion plans, which include targeting the Indian Subcontinent.
“This new tranche of services from SpiceJet will further enhance our role as a vital transport hub for the UAE,” he said. “We are an important factor in Ras Al Khaimah’s drive to attract 2.9 million visitors per year by 2025 and in its economic diversification strategy, of which tourism is a central element.
“We are working hard to attract more airlines to our facility and expect our operations to grow significantly this year for the anticipated post-Covid-19 economic bounce and Expo 2020 in October.”