(Bloomberg) -- SpiceJet Ltd. is planning to take delivery of at least seven Boeing Co. 737 Max jets this year, according to people familiar with the matter, amid speculation the no-frills Indian carrier may not have enough cash to make pre-delivery payments. 

The airline -- the only operator of Max jets in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market -- will add the planes in the three months through December, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. The carrier is also negotiating for five more 737 Max jets, the people said.

SpiceJet ordered 155 of the jets with an option for 50 more in a $22 billion deal with Boeing back in 2017, and has 13 of the aircraft in its fleet currently. While it’s unclear why the airline didn’t restart deliveries for close to a year after Indian regulators allowed the Max to fly again in August 2021 following two deadly crashes, people familiar said the relationship between the US planemaker and SpiceJet has soured.

Any transaction that would see SpiceJet begin taking deliveries again would therefore potentially be good news for Boeing in India, given its only customers with orders are SpiceJet and startup Akasa, which isn’t flying yet. Clawing back market share is crucial to break Airbus SE’s stronghold, fortified by the nation’s top airline, IndiGo, being the biggest buyer of its best-selling A320neo jets.

A representative for SpiceJet said the airline will receive new 737 Max jets based on “mutually agreed” timelines from Boeing.

SpiceJet is in “advanced” discussions with lessors to induct additional Max aircraft to strengthen its “operational efficiencies and product performance,” the airline said in a statement. It added that Boeing will support active progress toward securing financing and deliveries through various lessors.

A representative for Boeing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taking deliveries of new planes would also be a coup for cash-strapped SpiceJet, which has lost money for the last three fiscal years. The debt-laden carrier last year resorted to paying employees based on their hours worked and deferred salaries for some.

SpiceJet was trimming some of its losses by booking other income on the amount it expected to get in compensation from Boeing for not being able to fly the Max planes. 

SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh said in November that Boeing agreed to compensate “in cash and in kind” for the losses the airline incurred due to the grounding of 737 Max jets, without disclosing any amount. 

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