Budget carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday said it plans to add 10 aircraft to its fleet by November.

The airline will induct seven leased jets and deploy three grounded planes, according to a statement.

The first plane is set to be inducted on October 10.

SpiceJet has already signed lease agreements with deliveries expected by November 15.

Two of these leased aircraft have already arrived in India and are scheduled for immediate induction, the airline said. It will operationalise its grounded planes in phases, with the first three set to re-enter service before the end of November.

This move follows SpiceJet's successful capital raise of ₹3,000 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) last month. The airline will also receive an additional ₹736 crore from a prior funding round.

"This addition is crucial to meet the growing demand for air travel while strengthening our operational capabilities," SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said.

The Gurgaon-based airline has only 19 aircraft in operations while as many as 36 planes were grounded as of October 8 according to live aircraft fleet tracking website, Planespotter.net.

Meanwhile, domestic air traffic rose 8.1 per cent to 132.3 lakh in September from a year ago and notably, 15.2 per cent higher
than the pre-Covid levels of September 2019.

The airlines’ capacity deployment in September 2024 was higher than September 2023 by 7.3 per cent, but lower by 1.7 per cent over August 2024.

Rating agency Icra said it “expects the Indian aviation industry to report a net loss of ₹20-30 billion in 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 each, against ₹10 billion in FY2024. Supply-chain challenges and engine failure issues have impacted the industry capacity over the last 18 months and are expected to continue affecting it this year.”

Akasa comfort

Akasa Air on Tuesday said there will be no disruptions to its flight operations due to the latest advisories regarding potential risk of a jammed rudder control system in Boeing 737 planes.

The airline operates a fleet of 25 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory to Indian airlines operating Boeing 737 planes regarding potential risk.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said the identified issue does not impact its operations.

"Akasa can confirm that there will be no disruptions to our flight schedule as a result of the latest DGCA / Boeing advisories," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The airline did not mention whether its planes are impacted.