Commercial and military aircraft major Boeing said it clinched a deal with the Indian low-cost carrier (LCC) Spicejet. The deal would reduce Spicejet?s operating costs by Boeing managing most of the airline?s spare parts inventory.
Under the agreement, known as Integrated Materials Management (IMM), Boeing would be responsible for purchasing, inventory management and logistics for a number of Spicejet?s aircraft parts, said Dinesh A Keskar, the newly appointed vice-president of Boeing International and the president of the company?s wholly-owned Indian subsidiary Boeing India. Keskar would take over his new responsibilities from March 1.
Currently, Spicejet has a fleet of 19 Boeing 737-800 / 737-900ER aircraft. The IMM programme would not only assist Spicejet in bringing cost down in terms of its present fleet but would also allow to minimise its initial investment in parts for aircraft yet to be introduced.
According to Spicejet chief executive officer Sanjay Aggarwal, the low-cost carrier will add another 12 airplanes of Boeing 737-800 model in the next three years from 2010 at the rate of four airplanes a year.
Boeing singed an IMM agreement with Spicejet three months ago and is working out for such deals with Air India and Jet Airways, other major customers for Boeing in India, said Keskar.
Air India has been a Boeing customer since 1960, when it acquired its first 707 jetliner and it has earned the distinction of becoming the world?s first all jet airline 1962.
The 707 allowed Air India to quickly expand its network overseas. Since then, India?s international flag carrier has continued to enlarge its fleet with Boeing airplanes such as the 747-200, -300, and -400 and now with leased 777-200ERs and 737-800s. Two years ago, Air India placed an order to Boeing for supply of 68 commercial aircraft, of which 25 airplanes were already supplied.
Boeing has been maintaining an inventory of most of its airplane parts in India and in the case of urgency it will also bring them form nearby overseas centres, Keskar added. In fact Boeing has its Asia?s regional IMM centre in Singapore.