New Delhi, February 10, 2006: No-frill carrier SpiceJet has taken delivery of the first of the 10 Boeing 737-800 new generation aircraft it has ordered at the US aircraft manufacturer’s headquarters in Seattle, the airline said.

The airline has options to buy 10 more of these aircraft with blended winglets, which it “intends to exercise”, its Director Ajay Singh said adding that within three years the airline would operate nearly 30 jets.

Maintaining that the induction of the 737-800s was “a key element in offering comfortable and reliable service to our customers”, SpiceJet Board Director Bhulo Kansagra said the aircraft would provide cost-saving performance that supported the airline’s low-cost structure.

Boeing’s Vice President (Sales) Dinesh Keskar said the 737s continued to play an integral role in meeting the needs of India’s rapidly growing aviation industry, a SpiceJet release said.

The advanced-technology blended winglets allowed the airlines to save fuel, extend range, carry more payload and reduce engine maintenance cost, the company claimed.