NEW DELHI: In a move that will boost affordable direct connectivity between India and distant continents, the Modi government has conditionally relaxed the rule of allowing Indian carriers to wet lease planes (hire with entire operating crew) for a maximum of six months by doubling that period to a year. Accordingly, IndiGo can now wet lease two twin aisles to operate flights between Delhi/Mumbai and Istanbul for a year. Wet leasing more wide body aircraft, beyond these two, will be allowed only if IndiGo uses them to operate nonstops between India and distant places like North America or UK, say top ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) officials.
With this decision, the Jyotiraditya Scindia-headed MoCA has struck a fine balance between IndiGo’s request to wet lease six Boeing 777s from Turkish Airlines for two years — against the allowed six months as per rules. And how approving this request could have hurt “genuine” wide body operators — Tata Group’s Air India and Vistara — who are investing millions of dollars to expand their network as IndiGo would have primarily “fed” more passengers to Turkish Airlines at its Istanbul base for flying them to the Americas, Europe and Africa.
