SpiceJet hopes its Boeing 737 Max aircrafts can start flying from June

SpiceJet is hoping its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft can start flying by June, says Ajay Singh, chief managing director of the airline.

“We have grown 50 per cent this year,” he told reporters here. “This was possible because we took some aircraft from the erstwhile Jet Airways. We have a large number, 42, of Max aircraft on the ground, waiting to fly.”

Boeing 737 MAX planes were globally grounded in March 2019, after two of these crashed (elsewhere in the glo­be) within five months, raising safety concerns. Spice­Jet has ordered 225 of the ­Boe­ing 737 MAX, for $22 billion.

“We hope they (MAX aircrafts) can come back and that will fuel our growth for this year. We are expecting the approvals to be in place by the end of May or in June,” he added. The company continues to talk with Boeing’s major rival, Airbus, and the latter is making offers, he said.