- Business
- SpiceJet Limited is an Indian low-cost airline providing scheduled passenger and cargo air transportation services; it operates domestic flights to over 60 destinations and international routes to 13 locations primarily from hubs in Delhi and Hyderabad, along with freighter services through its SpiceXpress division using Boeing 737-700BDSF aircraft; the carrier offers ancillary services including SpiceMax premium economy seating with extra legroom, priority boarding, meals, and baggage handling, as well as UDAN regional connectivity flights on routes like Delhi-Amritsar, Guwahati-Patna, and Shivamogga-Chennai. Headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, and founded in 2005 after acquisition and rebranding from ModiLuft origins in 1984, SpiceJet employs a fleet comprising Boeing 737-700/800/900ER/MAX 8 variants, De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops, and cargo planes, serving budget-conscious leisure and business travelers across India and select international markets. In recent developments, SpiceJet settles a $90.8 million dispute with Export Development Canada in November 2024 by paying $22.5 million to gain outright ownership of 13 Q400 aircraft, reducing lease costs and enabling expansion of regional UDAN operations; the airline secures $89.5 million liquidity in September 2025 via Carlyle Aviation Partners settlement, unlocking maintenance reserves; it expands its fleet by inducting 20 aircraft between October and November 2025 through reactivations, wet-leases including Boeing 737s and Airbus A340, and ACMI arrangements to double capacity and triple available seat kilometers for the winter season; additionally, SpiceJet raises funds through qualified institutional placement and plans to unground more aircraft toward a 100-plane fleet by 2026.