NEW DELHI: Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet on Monday announced the addition of two Airbus A320 aircraft on wet-lease effective from 14th February 2020.The aircraft have been wet-leased from BH Air, a Bulgarian-registered airline based in Sofia. With the latest induction, SpiceJet’s fleet now stands at 121.
This is the second time that SpiceJet, which primarily flies Boeings and Bombardiers, will operate Europe’s Airbus-branded planes. The carrier has been facing challenges ever since the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in March last year, even as it inducted dozens of aircraft which were once operated by Jet Airways. Regulators worldwide were forced to ground the model following two fatal crashes.
“The continued grounding and the delay in its return to service have undoubtedly hit our growth plans adversely and resulted in inefficient operations and increased costs,” Ajay Singh, Chairman and Man
aging Director of SpiceJet said in the company’s Q3 result statement.
Singh had in the past shown interest in inducting Airbus aircraft to its fleet to fuel its rapid expansion plans which involves incorporating the Middle-East as a hub.
The carrier now expects 737 MAX to return in mid-2020 to boost operations and profitability.
However, the expected return might be stretched as regulators worldwide are making sure all safety-related issues in the aircraft are addressed.
The induction of the two Airbus aircraft comes at a time when SpiceJet reported profits during the third quarter by accounting expected compensation from Boeing for the grounding of these planes. Its consolidated net profit surged 21 per cent to Rs 77.97 crore in the December quarter, from Rs 64.44 crore in the year-ago period and a loss of Rs 461 crore in the September quarter.
If the carrier brings in more Airbus aircraft in future, it would certainly impact Boeing’s growth prospectus in one of the fastest-growing aviation markets.