Uttar Pradesh Government and the private budget carrier SpiceJet has signed a new deal for operating on five new routes in the state. The SpiceJet UP Govt agreement was done on Wednesday this week and will now need clearance from Union Civil Aviation ministry. The five new routes in which SpiceJet will operate its new flights are Varanasi-Kolkata, Varanasi-Bengaluru, Kanpur-Mumbai, Kanpur-Bengaluru and Gorakhpur-Bengaluru.
SpiceJet UP Govt Agreement to Bring 5 New Routes
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh announced the launch of five new routes by SpiceJet in an event held on the same day. The CM also thanked the SpiceJet management for taking up this initiative and launching five new routes in the state. He further said that the ‘Udaan’ initiative which is being supported by PM Narendra Modi has led to the development of air travel, new routes and thus propelling progress in small towns and cities with air connectivity.
More Small Towns and Cities to Be Connected via Air
He also added that earlier there were only three cities with air connectivity in UP, but recently that number has gone up to 5. The CM also shared that after the success of this SpiceJet UP Govt agreement, the government plans to start an airport at Bareilly also. He added that the cities of Azamgarh, Shrawasti, Kushinagar and Moradabad are also under consideration for increased air connectivity. Lastly, Adityanath said that the Gorakhpur-Mumbai and Gorakhpur-Kathmandu (Nepal) routes might also present a worthy commercial opportunity for the budget carrier and urged the management to explore these routes as well.
SpiceJet Exploring Commercial Opportunities in Cargo
It is also worth noting that before SpiceJet UP Govt agreement, only a few days ago, the carrier kick-started six new direct flights in the country. These six new direct routes connect Hyderabad, Guwahati, Patna and Bangkok and fly daily from these destinations. Additionally, SpiceJet has also started its air cargo service called SpiceXpress which it plans to commence in the coming FY 2019. In this new air cargo service, SpiceJet will ship many items from India mainly to the middle east and will look for more and more commercial opportunities. As told by SpiceJet CMD, Ajay Singh, the carrier will also form a new fleet for these new services. However, now it remains to be seen when does the first flight under the SpiceJet UP Govt agreement takes-off.
