New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has secured approval from the Centre to extend the wet lease of 11 Airbus A320 aircraft, according to sources.
This approval, granted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is expected to strengthen IndiGo’s operational capacity and improve service efficiency amid rising passenger demand and ongoing efforts to expand its fleet despite Aircraft on Ground (AOG) issues caused by engine snags.
Last year, IndiGo received DGCA clearance to lease 11 A320s from SmartLynx Airlines on a wet lease. Under this arrangement, the leased aircraft come with crew and maintenance support, providing IndiGo a short-term solution to handle supply constraints. The renewed leases aim to support the airline’s competitiveness in India’s fast-growing aviation sector.
Currently, IndiGo operates more than 20 A320ceo aircraft on damp and secondary leases and six Boeing 737s leased from Qatar Airways. As of November 2024, its operating fleet comprises 384 aircraft, including 24 A320ceos, 200 A320neos, 112 A321neos, 45 ATRs, and three A321 freighters.
Abhijit Das Gupta, Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management at IndiGo, confirmed that the airline is “in the process of extending leases for some aircraft” as part of its strategy to address supply chain challenges and meet capacity goals.
This step, he added, will help IndiGo manage growing demand while working with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to minimise the impact of AOGs in the fiscal years 2024-25.
During a recent analyst call, Chief Financial Officer Gaurav Negi stated that AOGs are on a downward trend, expected to drop to the mid-40s by April 2025, which will likely reduce costs associated with AOG mitigation.
IndiGo’s operating lease liabilities for the second quarter totaled ₹47,779.4 crore. Negi noted that as the AOG situation stabilises, the airline plans to phase out the damp-leased aircraft. IndiGo will continue operating Airbus A320 aircraft leased from SmartLynx Airlines (6Y) for the Northern Winter 2024/25 season, scheduled from October 27, 2024, to March 29, 2025.
Raksha Anirveda's editorial desk team brings in the collective experience of creative professionals - a fine mix of senior copy editors, writers, proofreaders and designers. Working as a team, they continuously create, manage, and curate content to sustain the magazine's profile and reputation in line with market trends and achieve magazine's goal.
