Spicejet posts Rs 7.82 cr loss for Q4

Spicejet had a loss of Rs 123.59 crore in the same period of the previous financial year.
The airline recorded total sales of Rs 435.73 crore for the latest quarter, up four per cent from Rs 420.02 crore in the corresponding quarter in the previous fiscal.
For the financial 2008-09, the company registered a loss of Rs 352.5 crore. It had a loss of Rs 133.41 crore in the previous fiscal, Spicejet said in a statement.
The total sales for the year stood at Rs 1,813.53 crore, up 28 per cent from Rs 1,421.54 crore in the previous year.
The total income for the year included an amount of Rs 61.78 crore from gain from sale of aircraft and engines, the statement said.
27/06/09 PTI/Deccan Herald

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Ahmedabad grounded by terror hoax

Ahmedabad: Panic gripped Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport, Ahmedabad, on Friday afternoon after two threatening phone calls were received by the airport staff.
The threatening calls resulted in an Ahmedabad-Jaipur SpiceJet flight getting delayed. CISF personnel, the dog squad and the bomb squad with around 50 personnel from the city police were all over the airport and had secured it for combing, soon after the calls were received.
Later in the evening, airport director BP Bhagat himself gave an account of the day's events. He told mediapersons that at 2:14 pm, the terminal manager received a call from a phone whose number was 26464334. The caller told the manager that he had heard two people talking about hijacking a SpiceJet aircraft from Ahmedabad airport. The caller revealed his name as Bansal, and said he worked for the ICICI Bank. "We received the next call at 3:50 pm," Bhagat said. "This time the caller claimed his name was Majid Khan and he threatened to blow up the airport. He was calling from a phone with the number, 22869233."
According to Bhagat, the police had traced the first call to a PCO near Law Garden. "The second call has not been traced yet," he said.
27/06/09 Daily News & Analysis

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Spicejet announces monsoon bonanza

Mumbai: SpiceJet today announced the launch of unbeatable low fares to encourage travel during the next three monsoon months.
Starting today bookings would be available for a limited period of travel between July 15 and September 15, covering all the 18 destinations touched by the airline.
Travelers can now purchase tickets at an amazingly low fare through SpiceJet reservations at spicejet.com and from SpiceJet airport counters. Passenger Service Fee and relevant airport charges apply on ticket prices on all direct flights starting from Rs 1,500.
Spicejet Chief Commercial Officer Samyukth Sridharan, in a relese here, said the promotional fares were to stimulate the market.
26/06/09 UNI/Sakaal Times

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SpiceJet hikes fuel surcharge by Rs 400

Mumbai: Budget air carrier SpiceJet on Thursday increased fuel surcharge by Rs 400 with immediate effect, a day after private domestic airlines Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines announced their decision.
"We have increased fuel surcharge by Rs 400 on our flights," SpiceJet Chief Operating Officer Samyukta Shreedharan told PTI here.
The hike is effective from today, he said.
18/06/09 PTI/Economic Times

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Jet Airways, JetLite, SpiceJet reduce airfares

Mumbai: Jet Airways, JetLite and SpiceJet have cut airfares by about 48 per cent to increase the falling passenger load factor on domestic routes. SpiceJet has cut fares by up to 45-48 per cent for passengers travelling between July 1, 2009 and September 15, 2009. A passenger can now fly by SpiceJet from Mumbai to Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai sectors for Rs 1,830, one-way, all inclusive. The offer is valid for travel to 18 destinations on the SpiceJet network on all direct flights. The all-inclusive fares on offer include passenger service fees and relevant airport charges. A SpiceJet ticket from Mumbai to Delhi on July 1, 2009 currently costs Rs 3,579, including taxes. According to an Economic Times report by Mithun Roy, in order to avail the promotional offer, one has to book tickets by today to avail them. Samyukth Sridharan, Chief Commercial Officer, SpiceJet said, “We have always believed in stimulating the market with attractive fares. This promotion will commence in the coming season.” SpiceJet has 19 aircraft in its fleet and commands a market share of 12 per cent.
Meanwhile, JetAirways also introduced lower domestic fare tickets on selective routes. Jet Airways’ Rs 6,661 one-way ticket, excluding taxes, is valid on Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Bangalore to Kolkata and Mumbai, Delhi to Mumbai and Hyderabad and several other routes across India. The airline is offering Rs 5,551 and Rs 6,001 tickets on Bagdogra-Guwahati and Mumbai-Delhi sectors respectively. All the Jet Airways tickets will remain valid till June 30, 2009. Even its subsidiary JetLite offers an all-inclusive fare of Rs 1,300 on routes such as Kolkata-Guwahati, and Mumbai-Nagpur and Hyderabad sectors. On the Delhi-Ahmedabad and Kochi-Hyderabad sectors, JetLite offers an all-inclusive fare of Rs 1,600. Jet Airways Konnect service has introduced special, all-inclusive fares on several key routes across India. It offers an all-inclusive fare of Rs 1,650 on the Chennai-Bengaluru and Mumbai-Vadodara/Ahmedabad/Hyderabad sectors, among others. On the Delhi-Ahmedabad, Mumbai-Bengaluru and Delhi-Patna sectors, the airline offers an all-inclusive fare of Rs 2,150. It offers an all-inclusive fare of Rs 2,700 on Mumbai to Delhi/Chennai/Lucknow/Kochi, as also Delhi to Bengaluru/Chennai sectors.
12/06/09 Travel BizMonitor

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Consolidation in Indian skies imminent: Spicejet

A shakeout in the Indian aviation sector is imminent as domestic airlines account for 35 per cent of the losses suffered by the industry globally, low-cost carrier Spicejet chief Sanjay Aggarwal said, while hinting at possible acquisition within a year.
"Yes... Indian aviation is two per cent of the world's capacity and they are showing 35 per cent of the world's aviation losses," Aggarwal told PTI when asked if a shakeout was imminent in the Indian aviation sector.
On whether he would be able to pick up a carrier as and when the shakeout happens, Aggarwal said: "We are keeping our eyes and ears open... There are some airlines that do not make sense for us."
Without giving specific details of acquisition, Aggarwal said he would be interested in a company that would come at a right price and an acquisition could be possible in about 10 months.
Such inorganic growth could possibly take place by the time when the carrier completes its fifth anniversary in May next year, he said.
03/06/09 PTI/Business Standard

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SpiceJet looks to acquire rival airline

New Delhi: Low-cost airline SpiceJet, which attracted $80-million investment from US billionaire Wilbur Ross last year, is looking to acquire a rival budget airline, and start international and regional operations, said its chief executive.
“We are looking at inorganic growth,” said SpiceJet chief executive Sanjay Aggarwal, adding that a low-cost airline will be his preferred choice for acquisition.
He expects a deal to materialise over the next 8-10 months, but declined to confirm if the Gurgaon-based airline was currently in talks with any rival for a possible acquisition.
There have been speculations in the past about SpiceJet holding talks with rival low-cost carriers, GoAir and IndiGo, to acquire them.
About its international plans, Mr Aggarwal said: “There are certain international markets in the Middle-East, South Asia and South-East Asia that are still underserved.” These destinations are close enough to be served by the existing fleet of SpiceJet, which just completed four years of operation and will be eligible to fly abroad after a year.
Mr Aggarwal said it makes sense for SpiceJet to go international because most of these international routes are served by full-service carriers that operate on a 30% higher cost.
The carrier is also evaluating the options of flying domestic regional routes. That means a new dedicated operation, as regional airlines connect smaller towns to metros and are not allowed to connect two metros.
It’s not clear how exactly SpiceJet would fund a possible acquisition. Mr Aggarwal said the company would be able to raise funds to finance any deal. Possibly, the company would be hinging on Mr Ross’s financial muscle to see any deal go through.
With the slowdown making travellers migrate to low-cost airlines, full service carriers such as Jet and Kingfisher are now shifting more planes to their low-cost divisions.
Mr Aggarwal, however, shrugged off the threat: “Only 7-8 of Jet and Kingfisher’s new low-cost flights overlap with ours. Therefore, there wouldn’t be any meaningful impact on us.”
02/06/09 Sanjeev Choudhary/Economic Times

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