Air-India to dry lease 20 aircraft in 2 years

Air-India Ltd will dry lease 20 aircraft next two years to meet the state-owned international carrier's short-term requirements, said civil aviation minister, Praful Patel Tuesday.

"The airline had floated global tenders for dry leasing of aircraft which will be vetted before the contract is awarded," Patel told Rajya Sabha.

Dry lease means hiring of an aircraft without its crew. Of the 20 aircraft to be leased, 17 will be medium capacity long-range and three ultra long-range.

After their induction, Air-India's fleet strength will rise to 55. Patel did not quantify the lease cost. "This depends on the country we finally ink the agreement with for leasing the aircraft," he said.

Air-India had not acquired an aircraft since 1989, and its fleet acquisition programme had been delayed by years, Patel told Rajya Sabha.

The acquisition plans would be carried out in an organised manner. "What has happened in the past will not be repeated," he said.

In March, the Air-India board approved dry lease of two Boeing 747-400s in its fleet. The first aircraft was hired in June, while the second is likely to join the fleet in October.

After the induction of these two aircraft, Air-India will have 11 Boeing 747-400s in its fleet, including six owned and five on dry lease.