Cash-strapped SpiceJet has effectively ended operations of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, with its three remaining airworthy aircraft set to leave India, marking the end of the airline’s troubled association with the aircraft type.
VT-MXD, currently parked in Delhi, is scheduled to be the first aircraft to be ferried overseas, followed by VT-MXE and VT-MXI. All of SpiceJet’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft have been de-registered under the Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA), paving the way for their removal from the airline’s fleet.
The exit of the three aircraft leaves SpiceJet with just eight active aircraft, sources tell FE. The airline has also inducted three Airbus A320s on wet lease from Cambodia-based Sky Angkor Airways, taking its total active fleet to 11 aircraft as of Tuesday.
SpiceJet was among the first operators of the 737 MAX 8 in India, alongside Jet Airways, when it inducted its first aircraft, VT-MAX, in October 2018.
The aircraft type is currently operated in the country by Air India Express and Akasa Air, with Air India Express expected to receive multiple units of the larger 737 MAX 10 next year. SpiceJet had also been expected to become the Indian launch customer for Boeing’s 737 MAX 10.
The retirement of the MAX aircraft comes as SpiceJet battles a severe financial and operational crisis that has disrupted its operations and left the airline with a mountain of pending dues. The carrier is also facing challenges in meeting employee salary obligations and owes significant amounts to airports.
The airline’s financial strain was underlined on Monday when it sought more time from the Delhi High Court to deposit the first ₹50 crore instalment towards the ₹144.5 crore it owes businessman Kalanithi Maran and KAL Airways Pvt. Ltd in a long-running dispute.