With Boeing-Airbus contest, SpiceJet shows long-haul intent

They need to come up with proposals to minimise costs

Budget airline SpiceJet has begun an order contest between Boeing and Airbus for wide-body aircraft, in the strongest indication yet that it will go ahead with a move into discount long-distance flights. The stock rose to their highest ever.

The carrier is evaluating the US manufacturer’s biggest 787-10 Dreamliner together with Airbus’s A350-1000, Ajay Singh, SpiceJet chairman, told Bloomberg TV in London on Thursday.

SpiceJet is considering the introduction of flights to more distant markets, including Europe, but needs Boeing and Airbus to come up with proposals to minimise costs, Singh said in an interview at the 2017 Aviation Festival. The carrier’s