Airports throughout India are set to benefit from increased domestic connectivity following the announcement on 23 April that Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SpiceJet (India’s second-largest airline in terms of domestic market share), to enter into a reciprocal codeshare agreement.
The agreement, which is subject to necessary government approvals, will enable Emirates to leverage Spicejet’s strong domestic presence and add six new destinations to its network: Amritsar, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Madurai and Calicut. The Middle Eastern carrier already serves nine cities across India, which will now benefit from increased domestic connectivity to gateways including: Goa, Hubli, Guwahati, Vishakhapatnam and Tuticorin.
“Our journey in India has been defined by progressive investment, partnership and growth. We constantly try to improve and provide our customers with greater flexibility and travel choices. This partnership with SpiceJet and the mutual expansion of our network will go a long way in further enhancing the travel experience of our customers in India as well as those heading into India, benefiting travellers and businesses alike,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, strategic planning, revenue optimisation and aeropolitical affairs.
SpiceJet passengers travelling from the Indian carrier’s domestic network of more than 50 destinations will also benefit from being able to easily access Emirates’ expansive network across the globe. Optimised scheduling will allow for minimal transit times and those travelling on the codeshare routes will be able to book connecting flights using a single reservation.
“This new partnership should immensely benefit passengers travelling on both airlines,” said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet. “SpiceJet passengers from across India will be able to enjoy seamless connectivity leveraging Emirates vast network across Europe, Africa, America and the Middle East those travelling to India on Emirates will be able to travel to 51 destinations across our domestic network,” he continued.
