SpiceJet to launch new services in southern sectors from 30 March, including Vishakhapatnam

Chennai: Beginning 30 March, low-cost air carrier, SpiceJet, will become the first airline to operate a night flight out of the port city of Vishakhapatnam, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The Visakhapatnam airport, till now, was closed to night flights due to restricted watch hours, and also because of the lack of interest in airlines to operate late flights.

SpiceJet has now received clearances from the Indian Navy and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for these night flights, and will launch a Vishakhapatnam-Hyderabad daily return service. It will also operate flights to Delhi and Mumbai, via Hyderabad, from 30 March.

The infrastructure at Vishakhapatnam airport has been upgraded over the last eight months, including a lengthened runway.

The airline says that it expects a load factor of 70 per cent on these routes.

SpiceJet will also launch a daily flight on the Kochi-Mumbai sector from the end of March as part of its network expansion plans for the southern part of the country. The carrier had launched operations from Kochi and Coimbatore last year.

Now, with Vishakapatnam added to its network, the carrier will operate a total of 53 flights in the southern parts of the country in a daily total of 117 flights overall.