SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int'l) has confirmed previous speculative reports pointing to its anticipated venture into the longhaul low-cost market.

The Indian budget carrier's chairman Ajay Singh told The Times of India in an interview last week that SpiceJet would lease two B787s, said to be B787-8s, for use in serving cities in Europe among other destinations.

"We are looking at starting the service by this winter," he said. "Two Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be leased and we may fly to cities in the UK, like Birmingham Int'l or London, where we can look beyond London Heathrow. A return fare of INR25,000-30,000 (USD385-462) for these sectors will have great demand."

Singh also confirmed that SpiceJet does indeed have the option of converting into widebody jets, fifty aircraft of their recent order with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) for 100 firm order B737 MAX jets with purchase rights for an additional fifty.

"We will exercise that in due time," he said.