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IndiGo has received regulatory approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to wet lease 11 Airbus A320 planes. Sources within DGCA, requesting anonymity, confirmed this approval.
These aircraft currently belong to Smartlynx airline, with two separate Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) in Latvia and Estonia.
- Also read: IndiGo to wet lease 10 A320 planes
This decision comes as IndiGo grapples with ongoing issues with its Pratt & Whitney A320 neo engines, which power a significant portion of its fleet comprising over 300 aircraft.
The addition of these leased Airbus A320s to the fleet precedes an impending engine recall by Pratt & Whitney.
This isn’t the first time IndiGo has turned to wet leasing this year. Earlier, they added three wide-body B777 planes on lease from Turkish Airlines to meet the growing demand for flights to Istanbul and beyond.
IndiGo has a history of using wet leasing as a solution, as seen in 2017 when they leased planes from Small Planet Airlines in Lithuania due to delivery delays.
Wet leasing has also been adopted by rival carrier SpiceJet, who secured planes from Correndon Airlines in Turkey for similar purposes this year, highlighting the industry’s adaptability to address operational challenges.
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