Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet will launch its first international hub in United Arab Emirates (UAE), the company announced on Wednesday. It further revealed plans to launch a new airline with the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport as the base.
Speaking at a press conference in Ras Al Khaimah– the northernmost emirate of the UAE, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said that the airline has been mulling an international hub for a while and wants to make UAE its stepping stone in the Europe and other continents.
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Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is midway between Europe and the Far East.
“Being strategically located between the East and the West, travelers from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and the Far East have found RAK Airport a connecting point,” says the airport on its official website.
The new flights from New Delhi and Ras al-Khaimah is likely to begin in December this year with Boeing 737 Next Generation jets. The airline will later switch to Boeing 737 Max aircraft after they are allowed to operate again. Boeing 737 Max jets were grounded globally after two fatal crashes which claimed 346 lives.
The airline will continue to maintain flights from Dubai.
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Singh said that Indian airports are getting congested and that the carrier is looking at alternative options in the region. He added that flight destinations for the new airline is still under discussion stage.
Officials declined to discuss terms of the business deal.
The move comes days after Etihad Airways announced plans to start a new Abu-Dhabi-based low-cost carrier in partnership with Air Arabia to cater the growing demand in the Gulf region for affordable travel.
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Budget carrier SpiceJet is India’s second-largest airline operating 550 daily flights on an average with a fleet of 77 Boeing 737s, 32 Bombardier Q-400s and three Boeing 737 freighters.
UAE is home to over 3.42 million Indians.
