Gaya to Medina: SpiceJet kicks off Haj 2025 ops with new jets and 18% more pilgrims
SpiceJet
has started its
Haj 2025
operations with the inaugural flight taking off from Gaya to Medina, beginning this year's pilgrimage. The airline will run a total of 45 flights in the first phase, connecting Gaya, Srinagar, Guwahati, and Kolkata with the Saudi Arabian cities of Medina and Jeddah.
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This first phase of operations will continue until May 29, 2025. Flights from Guwahati to Medina are scheduled to begin on May 3, followed by flights from Srinagar to Medina starting on May 4. Services from Kolkata to Jeddah will begin on May 16. The return leg of the Haj operation is planned between June 13 and July 11.
SpiceJet
will be carrying about 15,500 pilgrims this year, which is an 18% rise from the 13,000 passengers the airline flew for Haj in 2024. The increase highlights the growing importance of Haj operations as a major source of revenue for the airline.
In 2024, SpiceJet had operated 102
Haj flights
from seven Indian cities — Srinagar, Gaya, Guwahati, Bhopal, Indore, Aurangabad, and Vijayawada — and earned Rs 209 crore in revenue through the operation.
To improve the travel experience for pilgrims this year, the airline has added two wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft to its fleet. Each of these planes can carry 324 passengers and will be deployed on the Srinagar–Medina, Guwahati–Medina, and Kolkata–Jeddah routes. A 189-seater Boeing 737 has been assigned to the Gaya–Medina route.
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'It is an honour for SpiceJet to once again play a meaningful role in facilitating the sacred Haj pilgrimage. Every year, we strive to make this journey smoother and more comfortable for thousands of pilgrims. Our continued participation in this important operation reflects our deep commitment to serving communities across the country with care, efficiency, and dedication,' said Debojo Maharshi, Chief Business Officer at SpiceJet.
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The Print
5 hours ago
- The Print
Operation Sindoor: How Rafales, Pakistani J-10s & lots of propaganda moved global defence markets
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After India carried out precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of 7 May, global defence markets reacted with notable fluctuations, reflecting investor sensitivity to regional tensions. ThePrint examines how the 88-hour India-Pakistan standoff sent ripples through global defence markets, impacting the stock prices of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and its subsidiaries, as well as Lockheed Martin and Dassault Aviation. Stock prices are compared from the day Operation Sindoor began through to the closing figures on Thursday, with all values converted to INR using the prevailing exchange rates at the time of reporting. Also read: Defence stocks surge continues amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions since Pahalgam attack Pakistan's propaganda of multiple Rafale jets being shot fuelled Chinese defence stocks China's state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), particularly its Chengdu Aircraft division, saw one of the sharpest stock moves. AVIC Chengdu, which designs and manufactures the JF-17 and J-10C fighter jets used by the Pakistan Air Force, surged from Rs 828 on 7 May to Rs 1,145 by 12 May, witnessing a massive 38 percent jump in five days. Although the stock had cooled to Rs 939 by Thursday, it retained a net gain of 13 percent since the launch of Op Sindoor. Furthermore, another subsidiary of the state-owned AVIC group—AVIC Airborne Systems—which supplies precision avionics and weapons for the J-series jets operated by Pakistan, also saw a modest rise. 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Mint
7 hours ago
- Mint
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A friends and family round by end of August leading up to the launch. By December, MPL had a million daily active users. But the challenges were continuous and constant. In May 2019, MPL was kicked out of the Play Store due to Google's developer policy (it relaxed its policy on real-money gaming last year), along with other gaming platforms like Dream11. 'We would be the only company in India's ecosystem that started, raised a lot of money, got to a million daily active users and shut its doors within the year," Sai says grinning. Then by the second half of 2019 they almost ran out of money, looking to raise a bridge round which came in the form of $90m led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital. '2019 for me was the most foundationally painful year. If Creo was tough from a different standpoint, this was toughness induced by my own stupidity," he says. Cricketer Virat Kohli came on board as their brand ambassador. 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Hans India
9 hours ago
- Hans India
Tata-Dassault fuselage deal will boost manufacturing in general
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