IndiGo received the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)’s approval to wet lease a Boeing 777 for operations on the long-haul Delhi-Istanbul route. This will be the first time for IndiGo to induct widebody into its fleet. The airline is planning to wet-lease two aircraft.
Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) allowed Indian airlines to take widebody planes on wet lease for up to one year to promote the untapped international routes.
"After the previous receipt of in-principal approval for inducting 777 aircraft on a wet lease basis from MoCA, IndiGo has now applied for final DGCA approval for these operations as per the prescribed procedure," the airline said in a release.
The carrier aims to soon make the new capabilities available for sale on the Delhi - Istanbul - Delhi route, subject to regulatory approvals.
"We are working closely with the authorities to ensure all the required steps to obtain the approvals are completed well in time and will consider the earliest go-live date for these aircraft in line with the expected receipt of requisite approvals. This wet lease solution will also enable us to better utilise our A321 narrow-body fleet to continue our network deployment in light of the global supply chain issues," IndiGo said.
IndiGo has a fleet of more than 290 planes and operates more than 1,600 daily flights. The airline connects 76 domestic and 26 international destinations.
The Indian Government is urging the operators to increase their wide body capacity capture the rising passenger demands on long-haul routes