IndiGo working with aviation ministry to extend lease of Boeing 777 planes

IndiGo is working with the civil aviation ministry to explore the possibility of extending the wet lease of wide-body Boeing 777 planes from Turkish Airlines, as the existing lease period is ending this week.

Currently, IndiGo is operating two wet-leased Boeing 777 planes for flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. These are also the only two wide-body aircraft that are in the fleet of the airline, which is India's largest carrier with a domestic market share of over 62 per cent.

These aircraft were wet-leased to cater to the rising demand for international travel from India.

IndiGo started operating its first wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft on the Delhi-Istanbul route from February 1, 2023, and began operating the Boeing 777 plane on the Mumbai-Istanbul route from May 17, 2023.

Sources in the know said the airline has not received an extension for continuing with the wet lease of the aircraft.

When contacted, an IndiGo spokesperson on Monday told PTI that the airline is "working with the ministry to explore solutions to extend the wet lease as our AOG (Aircraft On Ground) related capacity constraints, while improving, are not entirely behind us".

The two Boeing 777 planes will be operated by IndiGo till November 14 for the flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul.

From November 15, the airline will be deploying A321 aircraft for operating these flights, according to information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

Wet lease of an aircraft by an Indian carrier involves the leasing of foreign aircraft, along with crew, maintenance and insurance. The plane is also under the operational control of the foreign operator (lessor) and subject to regulatory requirements of the foreign civil aviation authority concerned.

The safety oversight of such operations is also under the purview of the foreign authority concerned, and the role of Indian carriers is limited to commercial aspects of operations.

While announcing the induction of the second Boeing 777 plane into its fleet in May 2023, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said the new aircraft will not only increase capacity on the route but also help keep the fares affordable.

The Boeing 777 aircraft has a seating capacity of 400 passengers in a dual-class configuration with 24 business and 376 economy class seats, the airline said.

In the wake of Pratt & Whitney engine issues, the airline has grounded many aircraft, impacting its capacity.

Last month, IndiGo, which also became India's first airline to have more than 400 aircraft, said the number of grounded aircraft has reduced to the high 60s from the mid-70s and will further come down to the sub-60 level by the year-end.

At the end of September, the carrier had a fleet of 410 planes.

As part of expanding its international network to long-haul destinations, IndiGo, in May this year, placed a firm order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft.