SpiceJet & Operational Collapse at Ayodhya Airport: Complete Story

Remember the time, when Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport at Ayodhya was inaugurated. All major airlines announced their venture into the new airport. The largest headlines were made by SpiceJet, which had a grand entry at Ayodhya Airport. It was once connecting Ayodhya to eight Indian cities. But the bubble has burst. Stay tuned for the complete story.

SpiceJet at Ayodhya Airport: Biggest Entry

SpiceJet was the third airline to start flights to Ayodhya International Airport after IndiGo and Air India Express. On January 21, the airline operated its inaugural commercial flight between Delhi and Ayodhya. However, this one was a special charter flight.

Our main story begins on February 1. On this date, SpiceJet made a grand entry at Ayodhya Airport. It started connecting Ayodhya to eight Indian cities, marking the largest airline network from the airport. To boost its Ayodhya operations, the airline pulled out of Gorakhpur and deployed GOP capacity on Ayodhya flights.

From February 1, it started connecting Ayodhya to eight cities as follows:

• Ayodhya to Delhi: 6 times a week
• Ayodhya to Ahmedabad: 6 times a week
• Ayodhya to Chennai: 7 times a week
• Ayodhya to Bengaluru: 4 times a week
• Ayodhya to Mumbai: 6 times a week
• Ayodhya to Darbhanga
• Ayodhya to Patna
• Ayodhya to Jaipur

On April 2, the airline linked Hyderabad and Ayodhya with three weekly flights. In summary, at one time, SpiceJet was the largest airline operating from Ayodhya Airport. It was the only airline, connecting the new airport to Tier-2 cities like Darbhanga and Jaipur, enhancing last-mile connectivity.

Collapse: What is the Condition Now?

Opening a route, operating it for a few months, and then terminating it has been the formula for SpiceJet for a long time now. It has a very poor track record in maintaining routes. Currently, the majority of routes from Ayodhya Airport have been halted. Flights to all Tier-2 cities have been shut down.

The following routes are no longer operational.

• Ayodhya to Chennai
• Ayodhya to Bengaluru
• Ayodhya to Jaipur
• Ayodhya to Patna
• Ayodhya to Darbhanga

If this is not enough, SpiceJet will terminate one more route from June 1. The latest Hyderabad to Ayodhya route will be suspended from this date. With this, the airline will reduce the number of connections from 8 in February to a mere 2 in June. By June, SpiceJet will connect Ayodhya to only two cities: Delhi and Ahmedabad.

This is not the first time that SpiceJet is canceling established routes. During the initiation of the Summer schedule, it abandoned Puducherry Airport, stopping the only two airport connections to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Similarly, it left the Jharsuguda to Delhi route, which was solely operated by SpiceJet under UDAN. From 17 May, it has ceased operations at Port Blair Airport, suspending both routes to Kolkata and Chennai.

What Are The Possible Reasons?

SpiceJet has a long history of abandoning established routes. The question is why does the airline suspend routes, leaving already booked passengers in disbelief?

One reason is an uptick in demand in a different sector, which prompts the airline to shift capacity between routes. Another, and the most likely reason is Hajj operations. SpiceJet has received rights to operate Hajj flights from seven Indian cities. Although it has leased two Airbus A340s for Hajj flights, it is using the Boeing 737 fleet for transporting pilgrims from Gaya, Bhopal, Indore, Aurangabad & Vijayawada. The A340s are operating from Srinagar and Guwahati to Medina.

Hajj flights are subsidized and airlines earn a good amount of money with these flights. For example, last year, Spicy generated a revenue of Rs 337 crore only from Hajj flights. Which airline hates money? Hence, SpiceJet is removing capacity from current routes and deploying it for Hajj flights. It will be interesting to see, whether flights return back on schedule or not.

Conclusion: SpiceJet & Ayodhya History

SpiceJet started operations at Ayodhya Airport with the largest network from the airport, but now, the tag has gone loose. From connecting Ayodhya to 8 cities in February, soon the airline will reduce Ayodhya connections to just two. It will suspend Hyderabad to Ayodhya flights in June month.

What do you think about such tactics of SpiceJet? Is it justifiable? Discuss in the comment section.