SpiceJet eyes MAX deliveries, lessor alleges engine theft

SpiceJet wants to reboot a dormant B737 MAX order, according to Managing Director Ajay Singh. The carrier simultaneously faces a new lessor dispute after lawyers for Spectre Air Capital have accused it of theft by removing engines from leased B737-700(BDSF)s. Speaking at the airline's annual general meeting on December 30, 2024, Singh said it was important for SpiceJet to rebuild its capacity to compete against bigger carriers and provide consumers with choices in the Indian market. “We will restart our talks with Boeing. We received thirteen [B737-8 aircraft], and we will talk with the company to restart deliveries. Hopefully, we can do this in the upcoming months," Singh said. In early 2017, the Indian low-cost carrier placed a firm order with the manufacturer for 100 B737-8s with options for 50 more directly. Including two earlier contracts, the carrier's commitment for the type reached 155 units. However, SpiceJet only took delivery of 13 before financial difficulties forced the airline to stop deliveries. However, it returned six of these aircraft to the lessors (SMBC Aviation Capital, Avolon, and CDB Aviation) in 2023 and 2024. The aircraft were later redelivered to Enter Air and SmartLynx Airlines Malta, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. The remaining seven are leased from CDB Aviation (three), BOC Aviation (three), and AerCap, and have all been parked since mid-2024.<br/>