SpiceJet gets 3 new planes, fleet size rises to 51

SpiceJet has this week received the last three of the 15 Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft it had ordered, taking the no-frill carrier's fleet size to 51.

With the last three of these short-haul planes being delivered by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, SpiceJet plans to enhance air connectivity to Tier-II and

Tier-III cities and some other short haul destinations, a company release said. The latest Q400s can accommodate 78 passengers each.

Since 2010, SpiceJet's fleet has risen from 22 to 51 aircraft with the addition of 14 Boeing 737s and 15 Bombardier planes and its daily flights have recorded a 111 per cent growth, it said.

"SpiceJet has grown aggressively in the last 26 months adding 29 aircraft. This simply would not have been possible without the incredible people at SpiceJet, all the credit goes to them," its CEO Neil Mills said.

The airline currently has a 19.5 per cent share in the domestic market.

The air carrier at present operates more than 330 daily flights to 39 Indian cities and five international destinations - Dubai, Colombo, Kabul, Kathmandu and Male.