SpiceJet Ltd. controlled by Indian billionaire Kalanithi Maran, is counting on Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B) turboprop planes to add more connections to under-served towns and help reverse two years of losses.
The Bombardier Q400 turboprop services will contribute about 20 percent of revenue in the next 12-20 months from 11 percent currently, Chief Executive Officer Neil Mills said in an interview in New Delhi. The Chennai-based carrier, which has 15 of the aircraft, will fly to more destinations as it expands the fleet, he said.
SpiceJet is strengthening its network to take on competition from Asia’s biggest budget carrier AirAsia Bhd, which plans an Indian venture by the end of this year. Mills started adding the 78-seat Q400s from September 2011 to access more airports with runways too short for jet planes such as Boeing Co. ’s 737s.
28/03/13 Karthikeyan Sundaram/Business Week
