Summary
- IndiGo is considering wet-leasing Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from Qatar Airways to maintain capacity and offset the grounding of its A320 fleet due to engine issues.
- The wet-leased 737 MAX planes will be used exclusively on the India-Qatar sector, with Qatar Airways providing cockpit crew and maintenance, and IndiGo supplying the cabin crew.
- This is not the first time IndiGo has resorted to wet leasing to maintain capacity, as it has also wet-leased Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from Turkish Airlines.
With grounded planes affecting capacity, India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is once again looking at the wet-leasing option to maintain operations. The airline anticipates strong passenger demand this year but has dozens of its Airbus A320s parked at Indian airports due to engine issues. And now, reports have emerged that it could look at including Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the short term to maintain capacity.
Wet leasing Boeing 737 MAX planes
Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo could operate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the near future as it looks to wet lease the type from Qatar Airways. According to The Economic Times, the airline is planning to wet lease five MAXs from Qatar Airways to somewhat offset capacity issues due to its grounded A320 fleet. Per ch-aviation, Qatar Airways operates nine 737-8 MAX planes.
Photo: Boeing
The report says that IndiGo will acquire these planes for six months for the busy summer travel season. Sources say that under the agreement, Qatar Airways will provide the cockpit crew and maintenance of the fleet, while IndiGo will provide the cabin crew.
Those aware of the matter have also revealed that the wet-leased 737s will be used exclusively on the India-Qatar sector and that Qatar Airways will sell the business class section of the aircraft.
Grounded fleet
While IndiGo has a massive fleet of more than 300 aircraft, around 70 of its Airbus A320 family of jets are grounded across the country due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues. Among these are planes that are awaiting new engines that have been delayed due to global supply chain issues.
Then, last year, it was revealed that around 30 IndiGo A320 family jets could be affected due to Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engine problems. The airline said that the figure is likely to be in the mid-30s and that the grounding would take place in the last quarter of the financial year from January to April 2024.
Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock
In July 2023, RTX, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, first disclosed the problems, saying “that a rare condition in powder metal used to manufacture certain engine parts will require accelerated fleet inspection.”
The popularity of the A320 means that several airlines around the world have to ground some of their planes to carry out the necessary inspection, and IndiGo is among the many carriers affected.
Not the first time
IndiGo commands more than 60% of India’s domestic market share, and it is in no mood to give that up. To maintain capacity, it has resorted to wet leasing earlier as well. The airline currently operates two wet-leased Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from Turkish Airlines that operate exclusively on its flights to Istanbul.
Last year, it also received regulatory approval to wet lease 11 Airbus A320s to fill in for the ones that are parked across the country’s many airports. It remains to be seen when the carrier’s grounded A320s return to service.
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