India's SpiceJet to operate daily flights to the UK from September 1

INDIAN budget carrier SpiceJet will start daily flights to the UK from September 1 as it has secured slots at the London Heathrow Airport, the company said on Tuesday (4).

Recently, the airline was designated as Indian scheduled carrier to the UK and the US.

"SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1. This is presently under the bubble arrangement between India and UK and effective up to end of summer schedule, which is October 23," the airline said in a stock exchange filing.

The company added that it is in advance discussion to secure slots for the winter schedule for regular operations.

The winter schedule of airlines in India commences from the last Saturday of October and lasts up to the last week of March every year.

"London is one of the busiest long-haul destinations from India and this is a huge milestone for SpiceJet. Providing non-stop connectivity from India to different parts of the world, which in turn strengthens our own airport hubs, is a dream that we have long cherished and this is a small step in that direction," said SpiceJet chairman & managing director Ajay Singh.

"The identical arrival/departure slots that we have secured at Heathrow should suit the convenience of our passengers perfectly".

SpiceJet had been planning to operate to London since the summer of 2019 when it applied for slots to connect Amritsar-London flights.

All international commercial air passenger services in India are suspended since March 22, in the wake of travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.