SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) has announced it will wet-lease in two A340s for its 2024 Hajj charters, with the first one due to begin operating out of Srinagar and Guwahati on May 9.
The Indian low-cost carrier said that each of the quadjets would seat up to 324 passengers but did not disclose the identity of the operator. The ch-aviation fleets module shows there are currently no A340s on the market configured for exactly 324 passengers. SpiceJet did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment.
Besides Srinagar and Guwahati, SpiceJet plans to also operate Hajj charters out of Gaya, Bhopal, Indore, Aurangabad, and Vijayawada.
Last year, the airline wet-leased two A340-300s from Legend Airlines (Romania) (LZ, Bucharest Henri Coanda) for its Hajj operations, configured for 257 to 263 passengers. SpiceJet pocketed INR3.4 billion rupees (USD40.6 million) in revenues from more than 200 Hajj flights, carrying over 21,000 pilgrims over the season.
SpiceJet does not serve Saudi Arabia on a scheduled basis and does not operate any in-house widebodies.
