SpiceJet plane faces tech issue in Tel Aviv, aircraft taken to Jordan

A SpiceJet aircraft that operated a flight from the national capital to Tel Aviv on Sunday is facing a technical issue and the plane has been taken to Jordan to rectify the problem, according to sources. SpiceJet had operated the flight, with an A340 aircraft, under Operation Ajay.

On Monday, the sources said that after landing at Tel Aviv, a technical issue was detected in the aircraft. To rectify the problem, the plane has been taken to Jordan, which was the nearest place that has the facilities to look into the issue, they added. There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet.

On Sunday, SpiceJet said it will be operating a flight with an A340 plane to Tel Aviv. Operation Ajay has been launched by the government to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to come back from Israel where an intense conflict is going on with militant group Hamas.

16/10/2023 PTI/CNBC TV18

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SpiceJet's 'Operation Ajay' continues; 2nd Tel Aviv-bound flight to leave

New Delhi: SpiceJet will operate its second flight as part of the Central government's 'Operation Ajay', aimed at repatriating stranded Indians from Israel, an airline official said on Sunday.

According to the airline, SpiceJet's Airbus A340 aircraft will take off on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. from Delhi for Tel Aviv, returning to Delhi the next morning.

"A group of 120 Israeli nationals, among others, will be travelling from Delhi to Tel Aviv on the SpiceJet flight," said the official. SpiceJet's first evacuation flight from Israel, carrying 320 Indian passengers, touched down in Delhi at 8.10 a.m on Sunday.

On Sunday, the Indian nationals, who arrived in two flights from Tel Aviv, were received by Union Minister Kaushal Kishore.

On Saturday, 235 Indian nationals arrived from Israel in the second flight, while on Thursday 212 people had arrived from the flight under "Operation Ajay".

15/10/2023 IANS/Daijiworld

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Rakesh Gangwal doesn’t wish to invest in SpiceJet, says report

A day after it was reported that IndiGo co-founder and former promoter Rakesh Gangwal is planning to pick up a stake in low-cost carrier SpiceJet, a banker close to him on Saturday rubbished the claims and said that Gangwal has no intentions to do so.

As per the latest company data, Gangwal and his wife Shobha Gangwal held 13.23 per cent (5,10,21,132 shares) and 2.99 per cent stakes, respectively in IndiGo operator InterGlobe Aviation as of June-end, while the family-owned Chinkerpoo Family Trust holds a 13.5 per cent stake.

The banker, speaking to the Economic Times, said Gangwal still owns 25 per cent of IndiGo and doesn’t have any interest in investing more in SpiceJet.

“He still owns 25% in IndiGo. It doesn’t make the remotest sense for him to invest in SpiceJet...Moreover, he sees SpiceJet as a dying airline,” said the banker.

Shares of SpiceJet Ltd rallied nearly 18 per cent in Friday's trade after ET Now reported that Gangwal was in advanced stage of talks to acquire a stake in the BSE-listed firm.

Gangwal “is upset that retail investors are misguided thus, He would like to appeal to the Sebi to investigate the root of such baseless rumours,” the banker added.

14/10/2023 Business Today

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Air India, SpiceJet to operate flights to Tel Aviv on October 14

Air India and SpiceJet will operate one flight each to Tel Aviv on October 14 to bring back Indians amid escalating tensions due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to officials. These chartered flights will be operated under Operation Ajay, which the government has launched to facilitate the return of those who wish to come back from Israel.

The officials in the know said Air India will be operating a flight from the national capital to Tel Aviv while SpiceJet will operate a flight from Amritsar to Tel Aviv. Both flights are expected to return and land at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning, they added.

One of the officials said Air India is scheduled to operate another flight to Tel Aviv on October 15.

On October 14 morning, an Air India flight AI 140 returned to the national capital with 235 Indians from Israel.

14/10/2023 PTI/Moneycontrol

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Maran Vs SpiceJet case: Delhi HC defers hearing to November 20

 The Delhi High Court on October 13 deferred the hearing of Sun group Chairman Kalanithi Maran's plea against low-cost airline SpiceJet and Ajay Singh to November 20.

The HC has also asked SpiceJet to file a copy of their statement of accounts for the quarter ending September 30.

In September 2023, SpiceJet and Singh complied with the court's direction to pay Kalanithi Maran Rs 100 crore towards the dues they owed the Sun group chairperson. The court had warned that a failure to pay could lead to the court attaching Spicejet's profits for the previous quarter

Singh was asked to be present in person after Maran filed an application, saying SpiceJet had not filed an affidavit detailing assets and liabilities despite being asked to do so in 2020.

Maran claimed that SpiceJet owed him Rs 393 crore as of August 3 and sought an attachment of 50 percent of SpiceJet's daily revenues towards paying the dues. Maran filed the petition for executing an arbitral award against SpiceJet.

The validity of the arbitral award, which was being contested, was upheld by a single judge of the high court on July 31. SpiceJet and Singh challenged the order before a division bench of the court.

The Supreme Court on July 7 held the award as executable, saying SpiceJet did not adhere to the timeline it had laid down in February to make certain payments to Maran.

Disposing of the case, the top court directed that SpiceJet’s Rs 270-crore bank guarantee be encashed and asked the airline to pay Rs 75 crore towards interest within three months.

13/10/2023 SN Thyagarajan/Moneycontrol

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IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal may buy ‘sizable’ stake in SpiceJet, says report

Rakesh Gangwal, co-founder of India’s IndiGo, is reportedly in negotiations to acquire a significant stake in the financially troubled domestic airline, SpiceJet, according to sources cited by ET Now. This news has driven up SpiceJet’s stock price by as much as 20%.

As of June-end, Rakesh Gangwal and his wife Shobha Gangwal owned 13.23% and 2.99% stakes in IndiGo’s operator, InterGlobe Aviation, while their Chinkerpoo Family Trust held a 13.5% stake, as per exchange data.

SpiceJet, grappling with financial difficulties and striving to revive about a quarter of its grounded fleet amid intense competition in the aviation sector, has been seeking ways to secure funding.

As of September-end, SpiceJet’s market share had decreased from 7.3% at the end of January to 4.4%. SpiceJet have not responded to the report at this time. IndiGo’s shares saw a modest 0.9% increase in afternoon trading on Friday.

13/10/2023 Financial Express

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India's SpiceJet to settle lease dispute with Celestial

SpiceJet will settle a USD29.9 million dispute with Celestial Aviation Leasing after reaching a deal on the sidelines of a National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) hearing in Delhi on October 10.

The matter, Celestial Aviation Services Ltd v. SpiceJet Limited, was first listed in early June 2023 and concerns unpaid leases for nine aircraft. The October 10 hearing was scheduled to hear arguments from counsel for Celestial in favour of declaring SpiceJet insolvent. However, both counsel for both parties told the court the intention was to settle the matter, and Justices Mahendra Khandelwal and Sanjeev Ranjam adjourned the case until November 7. Neither SpiceJet nor Celestial responded to a request for comment.

Celestial Aviation Services Limited was formerly known as GE Capital Aviation Services Limited. AerCap acquired the business in 2021 when it purchased GE's global aviation entities. Celestial is the second significant lessor SpiceJet has recently settled a lease dispute with, having converted debts totalling INR2.3 billion (USD27.7 million) held by Carlyle Aviation Partners SPVs into equity. However, another lessor, Aircastle, reportedly rejected a debt for equity swap offer from SpiceJet. Insolvency bids against the budget airline in the NCLT brought by Willis Lease Finance, Wilmington Trust SP Services (Dublin), and Aircastle remain ongoing.

12/10/2023 ch-aviation

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Stay seated, grab iPhone 14 at Rs 3000 less: Spicejet announcement about Flipkart Big sale goes viral

New Delhi: Flipkart collaborated with various entities to highlight its Big Billion Days sales and primarily its deal on iPhone 14. The e-commerce giant also collaborated with Spicejet and the passengers were in for a surprise when the crew made announcements related to the sale.Interestingly, the iPhone 14 is listed below Rs 55,000 on Flipkart, which is the first since its launch. The smartphone was launched last year in September at a starting price of Rs 79,900. However, now with the iPhone 15 available on stands, the iPhone 14 can be bought at very low price.

Flipkart's Big Billion Day Sale, which kicked off on October 8, 2023, made quite a splash with a unique partnership. They teamed up with SpiceJet to create a buzz that left passengers pleasantly surprised during their flight. An announcement was made, offering a compelling incentive to those on board – an extra Rs 3,000 discount on the iPhone 14. The catch? Passengers had to remain securely seated with their seatbelts fastened for the entire flight. This announcement was captured on video and quickly went viral on social media, with most passengers opting to stay seated for the duration of the journey.

But Flipkart didn't stop there; they extended their creative marketing to address noise pollution in collaboration with the Mumbai Police. A billboard on a Mumbai flyover bore the message, "If no vehicles honk at this signal, the price of the iPhone 14 will be reduced by Rs 3,000 during the sale." This initiative aimed not only to promote 'no honking' but also to divert attention towards the tempting offer on the Apple iPhone 14.

09/10/2023 Ankita Chakravarti/India Today

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After IndiGo imposes surcharge on air tickets, SpiceJet and Akasa Air set to follow the path

 Ahead of the festive season, when passengers have already been hit by the unavailability of train tickets, the increased airfares due to a hike in ATF prices will add insult to injury. Following IndiGo, which has already increased the surcharge on its air tickets, other budget airlines like SpiceJet and Akasa Air are all set to hike flight ticket prices.

Zee Business has learnt that while SpiceJet can make some announcement by Friday evening (October 6) regarding the ticket rate hike, Akasa Air is also ready to impose surcharge on its air tickets. When contacted, Air India declined to comment, but it didn't rule out the possibility of passing on the increased ATF rates to passengers.

The airlines announced on Thursday that it would impose a surcharge of Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 starting Friday (October 6). The airline said that it was introducing a surcharge in the wake of the increased prices of aviation turbine fuel (ATF). The airlines said that the surcharge will apply to tickets depending on the distance of the air travel. The airline also clarified on Friday that the surcharge won't be applicable to pre-scheduled flights and will be taken only if someone reschedules their flight.

The petroleum ministry last week revised ATF prices comprehensively to Rs 1,18,199.17 per kilolitre (kl) in Delhi, Rs 1,10,592.31 per kl in Mumbai, Rs 1,26,697.08 per kl in Kolkata, and Rs 1,22,423.92 per kl in Chennai. It was highly likely that the airlines would pass on the increased prices to passengers in the face of costlier air tickets. With IndiGo having already taken the step, the other airlines are seemingly toeing the same line. Come what may in the next 24 hours, it will ultimately be the passengers who will bear the burden of increased air ticket prices.

06/10/2023 Ambarish Pandey/ZeeBusiness

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SpiceJet Resumes Puducherry To Hyderabad And Bengaluru Flights After 3 Months

Flight services between Puducherry and Hyderabad, as well as Puducherry and Bengaluru, were resumed on Monday after a hiatus of nearly three months.

Spicejet, the sole operator serving these routes, had temporarily suspended its services from Puducherry to both destinations three months ago, citing operational challenges.

As per a report in The Hindu, on Monday, in accordance with the operator’s timetable, the flight from Hyderabad arrived in Puducherry at approximately 1 p.m. Subsequently, the same flight departed for Bengaluru and later returned to Puducherry before departing for Hyderabad in the evening.

“The services resumed after a break of three months. The passenger load to both Hyderabad and Bengaluru was reasonably good,” said an official at Puducherry Airport, as per The Hindu.

SpiceJet initiated its operations from Puducherry back in 2013 with the introduction of a direct flight connecting Puducherry and Bengaluru. However, just a year later, in 2014, the airline reportedly discontinued services on both routes due to visibility concerns.

03/10/2023 News18

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