On August 14, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora ordered SpiceJet to ground three engines leased from two French lessors due to the airline’s failure to make rental payments.
NEW DELHI: Today(Aug 16th) Budget airline SpiceJet informed the Delhi High Court that if the August 14 order to ground three aircraft engines is enforced, its fleet of 21 aircraft will be reduced to 19.
On August 14, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora ordered SpiceJet to ground three engines leased from two French lessors due to the airline’s failure to make rental payments.
SpiceJet has appealed the decision before a Division Bench.
Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, representing SpiceJet, brought the matter before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.
Sibal emphasized the urgency, noting that the order would result in grounding two of their planes.
“Our fleet only consists of 21 aircraft. The grounding of the engines is set for today. Since each aircraft uses two engines, the order will effectively ground two planes, causing public inconvenience. Flights are already booked,”
Sibal explained.
However, the Court declined to hear the case on that day, stating it would be scheduled for August 20 instead.
“It is difficult to list the matter today as many judges are on leave. The case will be heard on Tuesday,” the Court said.
The single-judge had previously ordered SpiceJet to ground three engines by August 16 and return them to the lessors, Team France 01 SAS and Sunbird France 02 SAS, within 15 days.
The ruling came after both lessors filed pleas claiming that SpiceJet owed them millions of dollars. The Court concluded that SpiceJet was in default and had no legal or contractual right to continue using the engines.
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