BENGALURU, Aug 26 (Reuters) - India's air safety regulator said on Thursday it had cleared Boeing Co's 737 MAX aircraft to fly with immediate effect, ending its nearly two-and-a-half-years of regulatory grounding in a key travel market for Boeing.
SpiceJet Ltd , India's second-largest airline by market share and the only one in the country to fly the 737 MAX aircraft, said earlier in the day it had signed a settlement with lessor Avolon on leases for the aircraft.
SpiceJet has more than 100 737 MAX planes on order.
Around 175 countries have allowed the 737 MAX to return to service following a safety ban, with 30 airlines already restarting their MAX aircraft services.
China is now the only major market where regulators are yet to give the MAX a go-ahead. Boeing earlier this month conducted a test flight of the 737 MAX plane in China.
Boeing and SpiceJet did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment after the regulator's nod.