New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS): Airline major SpiceJet on Saturday became the first Indian budget carrier to operate a long-haul wide-body charter flight to North America.

The airline repatriated 352 Canadian nationals and permanent residency holders from New Delhi to Toronto on Saturday. The airline chartered a wide-body Airbus A330-900 Neo aircraft for the purpose.

The twin-aisle A330 Neo aircraft has a configuration of 353 economy and 18 business class seats.

"Our first-ever long-haul charter flight to Canada is yet another example of our commitment to helping as many people as we can to get back home to their families in these troubled times. Being the first Indian budget airline to operate a non-stop long-haul flight to North America is a proud moment for the SpiceJet family," Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said in a statement.

"We have operated flights across the globe repatriating close to 85,000 people and transporting over 28,000 tonnes of medical and essential supplies, and we intend to keep on with our efforts," the statement said.

On August 1, SpiceJet had repatriated 269 Indians from Amsterdam to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

The airline has operated over 515 charter and Vande Bharat flights to help repatriate close to 85,000 stranded Indian citizens from countries such as the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, the Netherlands, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka.