SpiceJet Suspended Hyderabad to Ayodhya Service Because of Low Demand

SpiceJet launched non-stop flights between Hyderabad and Ayodhya in early April. The airline started a thrice-weekly service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with its wet-leased Airbus A320 fleet. It wet-leased a pair of Airbus A320s from Cambodian carrier Sky Angkor Air.

The service, which was launched on April 2 was dropped in May-end. The final flight between Hyderabad and Ayodhya was operated on May 30. Since SpiceJet was the sole carrier operating on this route, the air connectivity between both cities has been lost.

According to a report published by The Hindu, an airline representative at Ayodhya Airport said that the flight was canceled because of demand reduction. When an airline suspends a route, it indicates poor demand and therefore, less ticket sales. When the airport was launched, there was a lot of enthusiasm from people across the country to visit the holy city, but that enthusiasm has reduced with time.

In March, Telangana BJP Chief G. Kishan Reddy wrote to the Ministry of Civil Aviation requesting a direct air connection between Ayodhya and Hyderabad. On April 2, SpiceJet started operations.

SpiceJet: Constant Decline of Ayodhya Operations

When the Ayodhya Airport operations started, SpiceJet made the largest entry with flights connecting the airport to eight Indian cities. It was the only airline connecting Ayodhya to Tier-2 cities as well. At one time, it was operating from Ayodhya to these eight cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Darbhanga, and Patna. Hyderabad was added later in April month.

The first routes to be canceled were Tier-2 connections. As the airline entered the Summer schedule, it dropped flights to Jaipur, Darbhanga, and Patna. Gradually, it canceled more services to Chennai, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. Now, it has suspended the Hyderabad service.

However, after a suspension of a few days, Chennai and Mumbai flights are back on the network, but in the case of SpiceJet, you do not know for how many days the service will be sustained.

At present, SpiceJet is connecting Ayodhya to four Indian cities. It is operating six times a week to Ahmedabad with a wet-leased A320 fleet. Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai flights are operated daily with Boeing 737s.

Conclusion

Initially, SpiceJet connected Ayodhya Maharishi Valmiki International Airport to eight Indian airports. Later, it added Hyderabad flights on April 2. This Ayodhya to Hyderabad connection has been suspended, with the final flight operated on May 30. The airline cites low demand as the primary reason.

What do you think about the operational ups and downs of SpiceJet? Discuss in the comment section.