DGCA de-registers three aircraft of SpiceJet

New Delhi, May 19: The civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has de-registered three aircraft of budget carrier SpiceJet.

"Out of the five planes listed for deregistration, one lessor has already requested DGCA to suspend the deregistration of two aircraft. Out of the remaining three, two were grounded for a long period and not operational. Hence, there is no impact on our operations. We remain focussed on bringing on our grounded fleet back into operations," a SpiceJet spokesperson said.

While Ireland-based SMBC had earlier approached the regulator to de-register three aircraft, another Ireland-based lessor GY Aviation had sought de-registration of two aircraft of SpiceJet on 11 May.

As on date, approximately 27 aircraft out of its fleet of 61 aircraft are grounded due to financial issues and need of spare parts, as per data from flight tracking website flightradar24.

The carrier has been in talks with lessors, investors and lenders in India and abroad for renegotiating contracts, raising funds, and restructuring.

In January 2020, SpiceJet’s domestic market share was at 16.6%, with a fleet size of 119. This fell to 7.3% in January 2023 with a fleet size of 65 jets; however, only 34 of its planes are currently operational. The market size of the airline has further reduced to 5.8% as per April data from DGCA.