Indian airlines have returned most of their wet-leased aircraft as the aviation industry enters its annual lean travel season, scaling back temporary capacity that had been deployed to meet peak demand over the past few months. The move marks a seasonal fleet reset even as airlines continue to induct new aircraft to support long-term expansion plans.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has now phased out all wet-leased narrowbody aircraft from its fleet sources tell FE. At the start of the year, the airline was operating five Airbus A320s leased from Turkey’s Freebird Airlines, five Airbus A321s from Qatar Airways and five Boeing 737-800s from Corendon Airlines. Those aircraft have since been returned to their respective lessors. The airline, however, continues to operate six wet-leased Boeing 787-9 widebody aircraft. Most of its earlier narrowbody wet leases had been deployed to partly offset the grounding of Airbus A320 family aircraft affected by Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine issues. As of late June, IndiGo still had 47 aircraft grounded due to the engine problem.
The trend is also visible at SpiceJet, which has returned multiple leased aircraft since May. The airline has redelivered four Boeing 737-800 aircraft taken on wet lease from foreign operators and also returned a Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft in June. As a result, its operational fleet has reduced to just nine aircraft.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said some of the airline’s aircraft are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance, including routine inspections and C-Checks, in line with the seasonal decline in demand. “We expect three aircraft from our existing fleet to join in July, followed by two in August upon completion of their maintenance checks, and a further two aircraft each in September and October,” the spokesperson said.
“In addition, we plan to induct 10 aircraft each in October and November under lease arrangements. The lease agreements for these aircraft are currently being finalized and executed, supporting our planned capacity expansion ahead of the peak travel season.”
The reduction in wet-leased capacity comes even as Indian airlines continue to expand their permanent fleets. Carriers have inducted over 36 new aircraft so far this year, with IndiGo accounting for the largest share at 19 aircraft. Akasa Air has added nine aircraft, while Air India has inducted three. Regional carrier Fly91 has taken delivery of three aircraft, and Air India Express has expanded its fleet with two new aircraft.
IndiGo declined to comment on an official query sent by FE.
