DGCA to deregister two more SpiceJet aircraft on lessor's request

Earlier in August, DGCA had deregistered four SpiceJet planes after two lessors' requests

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will deregister two more B737 aircraft of financially-beleaguered SpiceJet on a request by Irish lessor Horizon Aviation, officials said on Saturday. The deregistration will be done by September 1.

Horizon Aviation has been the third lessor in the past one month to put an Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA) with the aviation regulator to deregister B737 planes leased to SpiceJet.

The IDERA is usually filed by a lessor when its negotiation with the airline regarding payment of dues fails.

The DGCA had, on August 4, deregistered three B737 planes of the airline according to IDERAs sent by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. On August 5, another SpiceJet B737 was deregistered, as per an IDERA forwarded by Alterna Aircraft.

On August 25, Horizon Aviation had put in requests to deregister two B737 planes bearing registration numbers VT-SGQ and VT-SPU, said officials.

SpiceJet did not respond to Business Standard’s requests for a statement on this matter.

The airline is exploring multiple options, including stake sale to other airlines, to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore, so that it remains a “strong and vibrant” carrier, its chairman and managing director, Ajay Singh, had said on August 24.

Singh had said the airline would add seven new Boeing 737 Max planes to its fleet by the end of 2022. SpiceJet is currently operating 60 planes to run commercial flights, he had added.

SpiceJet incurred net losses of Rs 316 crore, Rs 934 crore, and Rs 998 crore in FY19, FY20, and FY21, respectively.

In the April-December period of 2021, the airline posted a net loss of Rs 1,267 crore. The airline is yet to declare results for the January-March period of 2022.

The DGCA had, on July 27, ordered SpiceJet to operate not more than 50 per cent of its flights, which were approved for summer schedule, for a period of eight weeks.

On July 6, the aviation regulator had issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet following at least eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since June 19.