JET PLACES ORDER FOR 75 MORE 737 MAX AIRCRAFT

MUMBAI : Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways has placed an order for 75 additional Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

In 2015, Jet Airways had placed an order for 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft, and had extended it by another 75 earlier this year. In a regulatory filing in June, it had said that it would acquire another 75, taking the total order size of its Boeing 737 Max fleet to 225.

The fuel-efficient, narrow body aircraft, valued at $8.8 billion at current list price, will be delivered over 10 years. It had inducted the first Boeing 737 Max in its fleet in June.

Airlines operating in India, including Jet, are increasing their capacity to address the demand at the fastest-growing aviation market in the world.

Indian airlines, which have the third-largest aircraft order book, including wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, after the US and China, has more narrowbody orders than China, aviation consultants Capa India had said in a recent report.

Capa expects Indian airlines to make another 120 aircraft orders in the coming weeks, including 60 narrow-body and 60 wide-body planes. India could place order for another 50-60 wide-body, as well as a large narrow-body order in the next one or two years, Capa India had said in the report.

Last week, full-service airline Vistara had said that it has decided to order 19 planes worth $3.1 billion from Airbus SE and Boeing Co., with options to buy seven more narrow body aircraft from Airbus, apart from leasing another 37 new A320neo-family aircraft.

Vistara had also signed a letter of intent with Boeing for six firm-ordered wide body aircraft 787-9 Dreamliner and purchase rights for four more aircraft from the 787 Dreamliner family.

Capa’s chief executive for India and the Middle East, Kapil Kaul, had recently said in an interview that Indigo is expected to place a big order for wide body aircraft, as it pursues an aggressive international policy.

“India will see closer to 100 WB (wide body) order in next 1-2 years, indicating a strong international strategy.”