The Gurgaon-based low cost carrier SpiceJet has been finally approved to fly overseas in June starting with Dhaka, Kathmandu and the Maldives, after the airline completes 5 years of domestic service later this month. The airline had previously short-listed 4 overseas destinations for the first phase of its international operations, however, the aviation ministry has turned down its request to start flights to Sri Lanka for now,
The country’s carriers that fly overseas currently are Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and JetLite making Spice Jet the fifth to do so. It will also be the first domestic budget airline to fly abroad, pitting it against regional carriers such as Fly Dubai, Air Asia and Air Arabia among others.
One of the civil aviation ministry official maintained that the carrier has been granted rights for daily flights to Dhaka and Kathmandu starting 1 June. The Mumbai-Maldives service will most probably start in the winter.
