NSE 7.58 % on Tuesday said that the airline will induct 50 Boeing MAX aircraft over a period of two years, as it starts flying the aircraft after approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“We will induct 50 aircraft during 2022 and 2023 calendar years and 15 to 20 of them will be used to replace older aircraft in the fleet,” said SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh. He added that the airline will add four air
aircraft soon and the first new addition of the aircraft will start on December 10, 2021.
SpiceJet had ordered 205 aircraft (155 firms plus 50 options) and already has 13 aircraft in its fleet. “Two of these aircraft are already flying and the rest 11 will start flying in the next 15-20 days,” Singh added.
Passenger demand sustainability a worry
SpiceJet is worried about the sustainability in demand of passengers in the domestic sector may not be sustainable, as cases in Europe have started to spike. “The passenger demand has been good and we hope it sustains,” Singh said.
He added that cases have been rising in Europe and Austria has announced a lockdown. “We hope that Europe is able to vaccinate more and more.
Indian carrier SpiceJet has revealed plans to induct 50 new Boeing 737 MAX jets into its fleet within the next two years. The airline has ordered 205 MAX planes from Boeing, of which it has received 13 so far. The first MAX delivery to SpiceJet since its grounding in 2019 will be on December 10th, with three additional jets expected in the coming months
50 MAX jets flying by 2023
SpiceJet is looking to speed up the induction of new MAX jets into its fleet, hoping to fly 50 Boeing 737 MAX planes within two years. The carrier plans to phase out its older Boeing 737NG aircraft with the newer, more-efficient MAX plane to claw back significant pandemic losses.
SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh said,
SpiceJet had 13 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet at the time the jet was grounded worldwide. After grounding the plane for 32 months, the airline recently resumed 737 MAX passenger flights and is eager to take advantage of the jet’s fuel efficiency.
Deliveries to restart soon
Since the MAX was grounded in March 2019, SpiceJet has yet to take any deliveries of the type. The carrier has an order for 205 737 MAXs (155 firm orders and 50 on option) and has received 13 so far. Of these 13 jets, only two are back in service while 11 remain parked. However, the airline plans to have all of its MAXs back in service within the next three weeks.
Chairman Singh added,
“Two of these aircraft are already flying and the other 11 will start flying in the next 15-20 days.”
Singh also revealed the next MAX delivery would be very soon, with a date of December 10th penciled in. This will be the first of four 737 MAXs to be delivered over the next few months.
Restructuring at SpiceJet
SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh laid out SpiceJet’s plans to spin off its cargo division into a separate entity next year. With cargo business booming over the pandemic, SpiceJet is looking at adding up to 20 freighter aircraft from Boeing – 10 narrowbody and 5-10 widebody cargo planes.
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