SpiceJet fleet expansion plans will add 20 leased aircraft in India ahead of the 2026 winter schedule to meet peak travel demand. The carrier will use wet and damp leases as it rebuilds an active fleet that currently stands at 11 jets.
SpiceJet fleet expansion could support 200 daily flights
The additions would take the airline’s operational fleet to about 31 aircraft and allow it to run approximately 200 flights a day.
SpiceJet expects the extra capacity to support domestic and international services. Demand around the Durga Puja festival will provide an early test, while the airline plans to retain the leased jets through the following summer travel season.
The carrier says the larger fleet will let it add flights across its network and improve operational stability during busy periods.
The deal combines Boeing and Airbus aircraft
The agreements cover 15 Boeing aircraft and five Airbus aircraft, although SpiceJet has not identified their operators or disclosed all the models involved.
The incoming group is expected to include Airbus A321s, which carry more passengers than smaller members of the A320 family. The use of aircraft from two manufacturers also brings more aircraft types and operating partners into the airline’s network.
Wet and damp leases provide aircraft and operational support
Wet and damp leases let an airline secure aircraft together with some or all of the people and services needed to operate them.
- Wet lease: The aircraft owner typically supplies the jet, pilots, cabin crew, maintenance and insurance.
- Damp lease: The arrangement is similar, but the airline leasing the aircraft usually provides part of the crew, commonly the cabin attendants.
Both structures can add flights faster than an aircraft purchase or a conventional dry lease, under which the customer receives the aircraft without crew. They also reduce the immediate need to recruit and train more pilots or maintenance staff.
The trade-off can be higher operating costs. Airlines commonly use these leases for seasonal demand or when maintenance and supply-chain problems leave parts of their own fleets unavailable.
The last operational 737 MAX jets have left the fleet
The expansion follows the removal of SpiceJet’s final three operational Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
Lessors had sought to deregister and recover several MAX jets after long periods out of service because of engine and maintenance problems. In January 2025, the airline announced plans to reactivate 10 grounded aircraft, including three MAX jets, following agreements with CFM International and StandardAero.
Several aircraft returned, but the active fleet remained much smaller than the airline’s registered fleet. Aircraft availability, lessor disputes and financial pressure have continued to constrain operations.
SpiceJet also used short-term Boeing 737 leases for the 2025 winter season while working to restore grounded aircraft. More recently, it supplemented its services with three Airbus A320s wet-leased from Cambodia’s Sky Angkor Airlines.
Travellers should watch schedules from mid-October
Passengers should monitor SpiceJet’s published schedules between mid-October and mid-November 2026, when the 20 aircraft are due to arrive in phases.
The airline has not detailed which domestic or international routes will receive additional flights. Travellers should therefore check the timetable for their preferred route rather than assume the larger fleet will immediately add service to a particular city.
