SpiceJet, a clear second in domestic passenger share

Budget carrier SpiceJet has achieved 79.4 per cent load factor in July and increased its domestic market share to 21 per cent, according to DGCA traffic data for the month of July 2014.

A press release from the company says, SpiceJet is now a clear second in domestic passenger share, with load factor almost 10 percentage points ahead of the next highest loads carrier.

With 30.7 per cent passenger share, IndiGo is the market leader. However, its load factor is at 67 per cent. SpiceJet is followed by the national carrier Air India with 18 per cent share, and Jet Airways with 15.7 per cent share of the market. “In terms of market share, we are ahead of Jet and JetLite combined which adds up to 19.6 per cent,” said a senior official from SpiceJet.

According to him, SpiceJet’s RASK (revenue per available seat-kilometre) in July was up 14 per cent compared to that in the same month last year.

Quoting Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet, the release says, “Our increase in loads and share is the result of our new network, improved branding and product, and most importantly, our dynamic pricing and revenue management approach where we believe flying empty seats, which is the ultimate perishable commodity, is a waste especially for budget airlines.”

The airline operates over 340 flights a day to 47 destinations, including 40 domestic and 7 international cities. It connects its network using a fleet of 32 Boeing 737-800 and 6 Boeing 737-900ER, along with 15 Bombardier Q-400 aircraft that are focused on tier II and tier III cities.