New Delhi: Bibihaji Zia plans to return to Kabul next week after knee surgery in New Delhi. She'll fly with SpiceJet Ltd., part of surge in Afghan medical tourism that's a silver lining for the indebted Indian airline.
"There are hospitals in Afghanistan, but the quality of medicine is the biggest issue," said the 54-year-old's son, Sediq, who organized the ticket. "Getting Indian visas is easy. The alternative, Pakistan, is less secure and less friendly."
SpiceJet is the only private Indian carrier with direct flights to war-torn Afghanistan, a route that's busy even after Taliban militants fired rockets at Kabul airport and the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster in Ukraine underscored risks in conflict zones. The number of Afghans seeking treatment, up 21 percent last year to more than 32,000, is set to climb further after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi relaxed visa rules to deepen ties.
SpiceJet's data show it flies about 1,000 Afghan medical tourists and their relatives each month from Kabul to New Delhi, which may earn the company about 156 million rupees ($2.6 million) a year based on average ticket prices. The carrier said the route is "very positive" when asked about profitability, without giving more details.
That contrasts with the mounting costs and competition in India's skies that led SpiceJet to lose 1.24 billion rupees in the April-June period, its fourth straight quarterly loss.
22/08/14 Anurag Kotoky and Soumya Gupta/Bloomberg News/Stars and Stripes
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"There are hospitals in Afghanistan, but the quality of medicine is the biggest issue," said the 54-year-old's son, Sediq, who organized the ticket. "Getting Indian visas is easy. The alternative, Pakistan, is less secure and less friendly."
SpiceJet is the only private Indian carrier with direct flights to war-torn Afghanistan, a route that's busy even after Taliban militants fired rockets at Kabul airport and the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster in Ukraine underscored risks in conflict zones. The number of Afghans seeking treatment, up 21 percent last year to more than 32,000, is set to climb further after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi relaxed visa rules to deepen ties.
SpiceJet's data show it flies about 1,000 Afghan medical tourists and their relatives each month from Kabul to New Delhi, which may earn the company about 156 million rupees ($2.6 million) a year based on average ticket prices. The carrier said the route is "very positive" when asked about profitability, without giving more details.
That contrasts with the mounting costs and competition in India's skies that led SpiceJet to lose 1.24 billion rupees in the April-June period, its fourth straight quarterly loss.
22/08/14 Anurag Kotoky and Soumya Gupta/Bloomberg News/Stars and Stripes
