By Santanu Choudhury
NEW DELHI--SpiceJet Ltd. (500285.BY) plans to purchase as many
as 150 single-aisle jetliners as the Indian budget carrier seeks to
modernize and expand its fleet.
Kiran Koteshwar, SpiceJet's chief financial officer, said the
airline is in discussions with Airbus (AIR.FR) and Boeing (BA) and
is considering either making the entire order with one of the
manufacturers, or splitting it between the two. The company is
weighing options from Airbus' A320 and Boeing's 737 family of
aircraft, he said.
Mr. Koteshwar said the company needs to add new planes in order
to be able to offer a "long-term strategic business plan" to its
vendors and investors, and to also reduce operating costs while
increasing its presence in the country.
"We will have to do this in this financial year," he added.
After making the order, SpiceJet will make a final decision
about selling a stake to a foreign airline, Mr. Koteshwar said. He
added that talks are continuing with overseas carriers, but
declined to name them. He didn't specify the size of the stake
SpiceJet is considering selling.
SpiceJet has previously said it plans to sell a stake in the
company to raise funds for expansion.
The airline currently owns 18 Boeing, two Airbus and 14
Bombardier Q-400 aircraft.
Write to Santanu Choudhury at santanu.choudhury@wsj.com
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