Low-cost carrier SpiceJet announced on Friday that it would be inducting 16 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft, a month after the airline saw its fleet size shrink due to the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes globally in the aftermath of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
“Subject to regulatory approvals, the aircraft would begin joining SpiceJet fleet in the next 10 days,” the airline said in a statement.
The airline has applied for a no-objection certificate (NoC) to import the aircraft, to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Domestic carriers have seen their combined fleet size drop drastically primarily due to the financial woes of Jet Airways, which forced the airline to ground 112 planes out of the total 123 in its fleet. The airline said the induction of 16 planes would help it bring down cancellations and help in its international and domestic expansion plans as well. “The sudden reduction of aviation capacity has created a challenging environment in the sector. SpiceJet is committed to working closely with the authorities to augment capacity and minimise passenger inconvenience,” SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said.
