NEW DELHI: SpiceJet will induct 16 new aircraft (Boeing 737-800 NG) on lease and deploy them within next 10 days, the budget carrier said on Friday. The company said it has applied for a No Objection Certificate from Director General of Civil Aviation in order to import the aircraft.“Subject to regulatory approvals, the aircraft would begin joining the SpiceJet fleet in the next 10 days,” the carrier said. Following the announcement, SpiceJet shares rose 8.5 per cent to Rs 109.90 on BSE on Friday.
The move to induct new planes comes weeks after the Gurugram-based airline had to ground 12 of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft in the aftermath of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. The induction is also expected to bring relief to passengers, who are troubled by the availability of a low number of seats following the grounding of over 100 of Jet Airways aircraft, which also resulted in a sharp increase of airfares across the country.
“This is the first lot of Boeing 737s that we are inducting in our fleet. The sudden reduction of aviation capacity has created a challenging environment in the sector. SpiceJet is committed to working closely with the government authorities to augment capacity and minimise passenger inconvenience,” said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet.The new inductions will not just bring down flight cancellations, but also help in SpiceJet’s aggressive international and domestic expansion plans, the company said.