SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) has signed longterm agreements with CDB Aviation for the lease of five B737-8s.
According to the lessor, all five aircraft are sourced from its Boeing (BOE, Washington National) order book and are expected to deliver in 2019.
The Indian LCC has 155 B737 MAX jets on order from the US manufacturer with its first of the family expected by August to be followed by another 14 by March 2019.
SpiceJet currently operates twenty-two Dash 8-400s, two B737-700s, thirty-one B737-800s, and four B737-900(ER)s on scheduled flights to 52 destinations across India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Afghanistan, Oman, Bangladesh, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Having seen strong results in the domestic market from its participation in the Indian government's subsidized Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS/UDAN), airline CEO AJay Singh recently mooted a similar idea aimed at boosting international service.
"Perhaps we can look at a similar structure for international flights, whether that is in terms of direct viability gap funding, in terms of other concessions that the government might give," Singh told the Economic Times this week. "We need to have a dialogue between the private sector and the government to see if we can get much more international connectivity from India and build international hubs within our own country."
