SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 (VT-SGJ) overshot the runway while landing at Shirdi Airport on Monday. Flight SG946 was operating from Delhi to Shirdi, India with 164 passengers and crew members on board. There were no reported injuries.
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With the demise of Jet Airways, SpiceJet is becoming the real winner in India.
Emirates has announced it is expanding it relationship with SpiceJet:
Emirates and SpiceJet have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) (above) to enter into a reciprocal codeshare agreement, which is set to open new routes and destinations for passengers travelling between India and popular destinations across Africa, America, Europe and the Middle East.
Subject to necessary government approvals, the partnership will enable Emirates’ passengers to enjoy seamless connectivity on flights to India, leveraging SpiceJet’s strong domestic presence and adding six new destinations: Amritsar, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Madurai and Calicut – to the nine existing cities in India served by Emirates. This will bolster Emirates’ already-extensive network adding a total of 67 weekly connections between Emirates’ hub in Dubai to these six fast growing destinations in India. This includes increased domestic connectivity from Emirates’ nine Indian gateways to points such as Goa, Hubli, Guwahati, Vishakhapatnam and Tuticorin which would allow for a greater variety of travel options between both Emirates and SpiceJet flights.
“Our journey in India has been defined by progressive investment, partnership and growth. We constantly try to improve and provide our customers with greater flexibility and travel choices. This partnership with SpiceJet and the mutual expansion of our network will go a long way in further enhancing the travel experience of our customers in India as well as those heading into India, benefiting travellers and businesses alike,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimization and Aeropolitical affairs.
Passengers travelling from India will have more choice to travel seamlessly with minimum connection times, when flying to destinations in Emirates’ Europe network such as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manchester and Amsterdam. The codeshare agreement will also open up flights for Indian travellers to North and South American destinations such as New York, Washington, Toronto, and Sao Paulo as well as Middle Eastern destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait and Amman, operated by Emirates.
SpiceJet passengers travelling from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Madurai, Kozhikode and 41 other domestic destinations that the airline operates to, will be able to access Emirates’ expansive network across the globe. Optimized scheduling will allow for minimal transit times between India and these global destinations and travellers on these codeshare routes will be able to book connecting flights using a single reservation.
“I am delighted to announce that as part of SpiceJet’s international expansion strategy, we have signed a MoU for a codeshare agreement with Emirates. This new partnership should immensely benefit passengers travelling on both airlines. While SpiceJet passengers from across India will be able to enjoy seamless connectivity leveraging Emirates vast network across Europe, Africa, America and the Middle East those travelling to India on Emirates will be able to travel to 51 destinations across our domestic network,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet.
SpiceJet is India’s second-largest airline in terms of domestic market share. Founded in 2005, it now serves 51 cities in India and nine international destinations.
In other news, Emirates lists its efforts to safeguard and support fragile ecosystems:
Taking its environmental responsibilities seriously and championing wildlife conservation across different corners of the planet, the Emirates Group is playing its part to support and preserve biodiversity.
The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in Australia both illustrate the Group’s long-standing focus on protecting fragile ecosystems and support for sustainable tourism in very different parts of the world. Both conservation reserves protect valuable ecosystems and at the same time provide unique and sustainable experiences for visitors from around the world.
The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
The Emirates Group funds the operations of the 225 square kilometre Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), an inland desert habitat that has been protected by government mandate since 2003. This is the largest piece of land that Dubai has dedicated to a single project and aims to preserve Dubai’s unique desert environment for future generations. The DDCR plays an important role in ecological research, actively collaborating with both local and international universities. The findings and results of the research studies help to enhance knowledge of the desert ecosystem, gather scientific data around rare and endangered desert species, monitor its balance and preserve its natural environment.
The reserve is also a focal point for conservation programmes aimed at restoring populations of some of the UAE’s wildlife, such as the Arabian gazelle, sand gazelle and Arabian oryx. Since their reintroduction into the DDCR, the antelope species have thrived, and their populations have significantly increased, triggering the process of looking into relocating some oryx and gazelle species to other protected areas within the region. Over 250 endangered Macqueen’s bustard (houbara) were also released this year with 25 of them fitted with tracking devices to monitor their movement and breeding progress.
In 2018, the DDCR was visited by more than 285,000 tourists, through Arabian Adventures, various Emirates partner tour operators, and the Al Maha Desert Resort. The DDCR offers low-impact desert experiences in addition to desert clean-up activities in coordination with Arabian Adventures. During 2018 the DDCR was accepted as a candidate for the IUCN Green List for Protected and Conserved Areas, a global standard for the world’s most effectively managed Protected Areas.
Emirates One and Only Wolgan Valley
Emirates has been supporting the protection of Australia’s extraordinary wildlife and plant life for over 10 years, through the conservation-based Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in New South Wales. The property was the first luxury resort in the world to receive an internationally-recognised carbon neutral certification from New Zealand based CarboNZero, undergoing a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions assessment. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley also conducts regular research to identify opportunities and challenges for endangered species conservation. Efforts have also been underway to help restore vital vegetation and tree planting activities, which have helped to re-establish habitats for vital bird populations, essential for their long term survival.
Emirates and Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley jointly funded the development of the WomSAT app and website in collaboration the University of Western Sydney to help researchers identify opportunities for wombat conservation. Wombats are threatened by sarcoptic mange, an unpleasant and often fatal skin disease that afflicts Australia’s largest burrow builder. The tool is used to record wombat sightings and track population health to help treat wombats afflicted by sarcoptic mange. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is also spearheading a number of other conservation projects, such as the Wolgan River Restoration Project, an ongoing weed management programme, and supporting research projects with Western Sydney University.
United for Wildlife and The Buenos Aires Declaration
Since 2015, Emirates has continued its strong support for actions to stem the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, which is having devastating consequences for endangered animals and the environment in many parts of the world. In 2018, the Emirates Group also signed the Buenos Aires Declaration on Travel and Tourism and Illegal Wildlife Trade, an effort led by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to reach a billion travellers with messages to fight the illegal wildlife trade and work with communities to develop sustainable tourism that provides livelihoods and protects wildlife. The WTTC and World Wildlife Fund are developing guidelines to eliminate illegal wildlife trafficking from the travel and tourism supply chains.
The Emirates Group has also adopted a zero-tolerance policy to wildlife trafficking and has set up training for its employees to identify and look out for warning signs of smuggled wildlife products during cargo transportation and screening. Emirates will not carry banned species, hunting trophies or any products associated with illegal wildlife activities.
Using its brand power to raise awareness around the illegal trafficking of endangered wildlife, Emirates emblazoned four of its A380s with special wildlife decals. Since then the aircraft have flown millions of kilometres across 48 cities in 29 countries on close to 6,000 flights taking this important message around the world and spurring conversation around wildlife preservation.
dnata Wildlife Conservation and Nature
dnata recently signed an MOU with the University of Pretoria in South Africa to support their research and rehabilitation projects. Under dnata4good, the partnership aims to safeguard wildlife and the environment by strengthening and enhancing research, veterinary training and awareness, increasing involvement through volunteer opportunities and ensuring needed measures are taken to care for injured animals and rehabilitate them to go back into the wild. The initiative will be partially driven by employee participation to protect fragile biodiversity in South Africa and to maintain balanced ecosystems.
Give a Ghaf
Emirates Group employees living in Meydan Heights (UAE) will be taking part in a Ghaf Tree planting event on 27 April in partnership with Goumbook. The event aims to raise awareness about the importance of conserving the living desert, with a specific focus on the Ghaf tree. The Ghaf is a drought tolerant, evergreen tree which can withstand harsh desert environments, and can be used for greening purposes whilst saving water.
Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Emirates Airline Airbus A380-842 A6-EUW (msn 240) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 946247.
Emirates aircraft slide show:
Following the collapse of Jet Airways, SpiceJet has made this announcement:
| SpiceJet, the country’s favorite carrier, today announced the launch of 24 new flights connecting Mumbai and Delhi with other cities on its domestic network. Of these, 16 will connect Mumbai, four will connect Delhi while the rest will connect the two metros with each other.
The new flights from Mumbai are on the Mumbai-Jaipur-Mumbai, Mumbai-Patna-Mumbai, Mumbai-Bagdogra-Mumbai, Mumbai-Amritsar-Mumbai, Mumbai-Hyderabad-Mumbai, Mumbai-Coimbatore-Mumbai, Mumbai-Kolkata-Mumbai and Mumbai-Mangaluru-Mumbai sectors while the flights from Delhi are on the Delhi-Patna-Delhi and Delhi-Bangalore-Delhi sectors besides two additional frequencies on the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai sector. All the new flights introduced will be operational daily. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said: “We are extremely delighted to announce the launch of these new flights. The industry is currently facing severe shortage of capacity and SpiceJet remains committed to make all possible efforts to minimize passenger inconvenience.” In its bid to enhance its operations from Mumbai, a key destination on SpiceJet’s network, the airline had last week announced three new domestic flights on the Mumbai-Varanasi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai-Mumbai and Mumbai-Kolkata-Mumbai sectors. SpiceJet is the first and only Indian budget carrier to introduce a daily non-stop flight between Mumbai-Bangkok-Mumbai. With the above additions, the total number of flights announced from the city within a week goes up to 14 flights. SpiceJet has also announced a slew of new nonstop international flights to Hong Kong, Jeddah, Dubai, Colombo, Dhaka, Riyadh, Bangkok and Kathmandu from the metro effective late May. The airline will deploy its Boeing 737-800 NG aircrafts on all the routes.
Above Photo: SpiceJet. With the new flights, passengers from Jaipur, Mangaluru, Bagdogra, Amritsar, Coimbatore and Patna will be able to easily travel to a host of other cities both on SpiceJet’s domestic as well as international network via Mumbai and Delhi. Tentative Flight Schedule
*Flight timings are subject to Government approvals |
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Top Copyright Photo: SpiceJet Boeing 737-8GJ WL VT-SZC (msn 39428) DXB (Paul Denton). Image: 934710.
SpiceJet aircraft slide show:
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SpiceJet has issued this statement:
Top Copyright Photo: SpiceJet Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 VT-MXF (msn 64507) BFI (Steve Bailey). Image: 944676.
SpiceJet aircraft slide show:
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Boeing and SpiceJet celebrated the delivery of the carrier’s first 737 MAX 8 (VT-MAX). The airline plans to use the 737 MAX to expand and standardize its fleet, while leveraging the super-efficient jet to reduce fuel costs per airplane by $1.5 million a year.
This is the first of up to 205 737 MAX airplanes SpiceJet has announced with Boeing. The new and improved single-aisle airplane will help SpiceJet lower its emissions output, which is a key initiative for the carrier as it looks to increase regional and international routes.
SpiceJet’s first 737 MAX 8 takes-off from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington (Craig Larson photo).
SpiceJet’s new 737 MAX airplanes arrive at a time when India’s commercial aviation market continues to grow at significant rates. According to industry data, domestic air traffic in India has grown about 20 percent in each of the past four years with an upward growth trajectory going forward.
In preparation for their new 737 MAX, SpiceJet signed up to leverage Boeing Global Services’ tailored flight simulator and maintenance training, which will help train SpiceJet’s world-class pilots and mechanics in all areas of 737 MAX flight operations, resulting in maximized cost-savings. The airline also employs Onboard Performance Tool, powered by Boeing AnalytX, which allows flight crews and ground personnel to perform real-time calculations based on current weather and runway conditions, improving efficiency and maximizing payloads.
The 737 MAX 8 is part of a family of airplanes that offer about 130 to 230 seats and the ability to fly up to 3,850 nautical miles (7,130 kilometers) or nearly eight hours of flight. For SpiceJet’s full fleet of up to 205 airplanes, the MAX will emit up to 750,000 fewer metric tons of CO2 and save up to 240,000 metric tons of fuel per year, which translates to more than $317 million in cost savings annually*.
In addition, the MAX 8, will have the lowest operating costs in the single-aisle market with an 8 percent per-seat advantage over the competition. The operating advantages, along with the popular Boeing Sky Interior, explains why carriers have been choosing to fly the MAX.
The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 4,700 orders from 104 customers worldwide.
*Based on: General rules, 750-nmi mission, two-class seating, fuel price: $4.00 per U.S. gallon, 737 MAX 8
Top Copyright Photo (all others by Boeing): SpiceJet Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 VT-MAX (msn 60644) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 943613.
SpiceJet aircraft slide show:
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Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has announced the delivery of its first 90-seat Q400 aircraft.
The aircraft was handed over to India’s SpiceJet Limited, the launch operator for the extra-capacity, 90-seat aircraft.
“We are excited to induct the 90-seat Q400 aircraft into our fleet,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet. “The additional seats and performance improvements will result in substantial reduction in unit costs and also we will be able to address our market needs in the regional space.”
“This is a very important milestone for the Q400 aircraft program because the 90-seat option demonstrates the increased profitability potential that this unique turboprop has to offer,” said
Colin Bole, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The increased passenger capacity allows 15 per cent reduction of seat cost compared to the previous standard Q400 aircraft and provides an enormous benefit for airlines. We are thrilled that SpiceJet will be the first operator to showcase the unique capabilities and unbeatable productivity of our turboprops.”
All images by Bombardier and SpiceJet.
SpiceJet has added its first freighter aircraft into the “SpiceXpress” fleet.
The pictured Boeing 737-75C (F) VT-SFB (msn 29042, ex B-2998) is named “Bolt” and was delivered on August 29, 2018 after freighter conversion.
The company is planning to expand its freighter fleet to 20 aircraft by 2022.
The division of SpiceJet explains its operations:
SpiceJet is proud to present SPICEEXPRESS-The Door to Door cargo service.
This is first time in India that an Airline has been attributed with integrated Logistics solutions. We are here to cater to your various needs for delivering goods effectively at your doorsteps. Being a leading Airline brand, we have access to unparalleled infrastructure and logistics. Therefore, we use our connectivity, resources and fleet effectively and efficiently to deliver your consignment at the door steps of your choice.
It’s our prime concern to take care of your business needs and therefore we are committed to delivering your shipment within your stipulated time frame.
Also, given our airline lineage, we have our own full- fledged security system in place to ensure maximum safety and security of your consignment.
Photo: SpiceJet.
