Lessors have requested that the Indian aviation regulator deregisters three Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes used by airline SpiceJet.
The three lessors taking action include Wilmington Trust SP Services, Sabarmati Aviation Leasing and Falgu Aviation Leasing.
The request from the three lessors were received by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on May 8, 2023.
According to CNBC the three planes belong to one lessor but are held in different portfolios.
“Two of the three planes are grounded for a long period now and the same doesn’t affect our operations. We hold a very good relationship with the lessor and are in discussion to resolve the matter. We have been working to bring back our grounded fleet basis the loan sanctioned under the ECLGS scheme,” the airline said in a statement.
On May 8, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) also issued a notice to the airline for an insolvency plea after lessor Aircastle filed a petition against the carrier for unpaid dues.
In response SpiceJet said it hoped to resolve the matter without “courts proceedings” but is not admitting any liabilities.
“Presently there are no aircraft from this lessor in our fleet. All aircraft from this lessor have already been returned by SpiceJet. This development, in no manner, affects our operations or operating fleet,” a statement from SpiceJet read.
It continued: “We are confident of resolving the matter without court proceedings and we are in discussions with their senior leadership team for the same. The comments provided here are without prejudice to our rights and in no way should be deemed as an admission of any liabilities.”