SpiceJet's Ajay Singh Meets US Vice President Pence
Having got praises and thanks from US President Donald Trump for creating high-value jobs (around 1.32 lakh) for Americans due to the order for 205 planes from Boeing, Indian home-grown carrier Spicejet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh met the US Vice President Mike Pence. The US VP said he was keen to visit the office of SpiceJet when he comes to India. Pence told Singh that the SpiceJet-Boeing deal was extensively discussed in the Modi-Trump meeting. Also, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to the US VP which he has accepted.
Singh met Pence as part of the US-India Business Council meeting in Washington. It should be noted that recently SpiceJet placed an order for up to 205 planes with Boeing, a $22 billion order. More important is the fact that these aircraft will be manufactured in the US. As per the US Department of Commerce, the deal will create 1,32,000 high-skilled, high-paid American jobs within the US, a plank on which US President Trump was elected.
Singh, on his part, gifted a SpiceJet aircraft model to US VP Pence for President Trump. Pence promised that he will send a photo of the President with the aircraft model in the Oval office. Later, while addressing the 42nd annual gala of the US- India Business Council (USIBC), Pence said: "Modi told him that "India-Ana means coming to India". Indiana is the state of which he was the Governor. Pence praised Indian companies including SpiceJet for creating tens and thousands of jobs in America. "I know that American companies are going to continue to give India's aviation industry the wings it needs to soar. And let me just take the opportunity, as the President did yesterday, to say thank you to SpiceJet for investing and believing in American workers and American businesses," Pence said.
SpiceJet says it has been one of the most efficient airlines operating in the fastest growing aviation market in the world. "On almost all operational parameters the airline has outdone its rivals," the company said. It is a matter of record that for the last 25 months in a row, SpiceJet had a load factor in excess of 92 per cent. The airline has already posted nine profitable quarters and had amongst the least cancellations in the industry. The company has zero bank debt having paid off all the liabilities. "We have placed a large order for the Boeing 737 MAX, in fact, the biggest ever placed by an Indian airline with Boeing. The new planes start to join the fleet in the middle of 2018 and with that our operating cost will further go down," said a company executive.
