SpiceJet receives DGCA approval for wet leasing 5 B737 MAX aircraft

Radhika Bansal

28 Oct 2022

SpiceJet has received aviation regulator DGCA approval for wet leasing five Boeing 737 Max planes for up to six months. The airline has already deployed two of the aircraft on different routes, according to sources.

The approval for taking the planes on the wet lease was given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this month. The sources said the remaining three aircraft would be inducted into the SpiceJet fleet in the coming weeks. There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet. The airline already has Boeing 737 Max planes in its fleet.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet likely to induct 7 B737 MAX aircraft

SpiceJet receives DGCA approval for wet leasing 5 B737 MAX aircraft

To cater to rising demand in the winter schedule which begins on October 30, SpiceJet and IndiGo have received approval for their proposals to take planes on wet lease.

Under a wet lease arrangement, planes are leased along with operating crew and engineers. Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly.

ALSO READ - IndiGo to debut with widebody aircraft for international expansion

IndiGo has received DGCA's nod for wet leasing wide-body Boeing 777 planes, which are operated mainly on long and ultra-long-haul routes, for up to six months.

IndiGo has also received DGCA's nod for wet leasing wide-body Boeing 777 planes

ALSO READ - DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease wide-body Turkish planes

However, the regulator rejected the airline's proposal to keep them in the fleet for up to two years, saying the move could become a diversion of traffic rights in collusion with a strong foreign carrier that will mainly feed the latter's hub abroad with more passengers from India, sources said earlier in the day.

Sources at IndiGo said the airline has written to the civil aviation ministry seeking extended tenure for aircraft that will be taken on wet lease.

ALSO READ – Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?

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Kuwait's Jazeera Airways set to start new services

Jinen Gada

28 Oct 2022

The budget airline based in Kuwait, Jazeera Airways, is ready to begin its service from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, according to airport statement.

The first phase of service, starting on October 30, will be 2 days a week. The flight departs from Thiruvananthapuram on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2.50 AM and reaches Kuwait at 5.55 AM (Local time). The flight leaves from Kuwait at 6.25 PM (Local time) and reaches Thiruvananthapuram at 2.05 AM.

An A320 aircraft with a capacity of 160 passengers will be used for the service and this will be Jazeera's second service to Kerala.

The Kuwait-Thiruvananthapuram route will be served on Tuesdays and Sundays.

With the arrival of budget airline Jazeera, travellers from South Kerala and Tamil Nadu can travel to Kuwait at low cost. Booking for flight service has started.

Jazeera Airways is a Kuwaiti airline with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. It operates scheduled services in the Middle East, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Europe. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport.

The airline has grown since its launch to become Kuwait's second national airline. Jazeera Airways is one of the largest operators at Kuwait airport.

It has a fleet size of 19 aircraft consisting of 8 A320-200 and 11 A320neo aircraft and serves 50 destinations.

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DGCA allows IndiGo to wet lease Turkish Airlines planes

Jinen Gada

28 Oct 2022

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has authorised IndiGo's request to wet-lease a wide-body Boeing aircraft from Turkish Airlines for a period of up to six months.

But the local carrier's request to lease the aircraft for a period of up to two years was rejected by the Aviation regulator.

IndiGo, the largest customer of Airbus narrowbody aircraft globally, seems to be charting a new path for itself with wide-body aircraft coming to its rescue. Since its fleet now solely consists of narrow-body aircraft, IndiGo chose to lease wide-body aircraft to expand its international flight schedule in order to satisfy growing demand.

Also read - DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease Turkish planes

DGCA allows IndiGo to wet lease Turkish Airlines' Boeing planes for six months.

The DGCA turned down the request of the country's largest airline to wet lease the aircraft for a longer period, citing that the move could become diversion of traffic rights in collusion with a strong foreign carrier that will mainly feed the latter's hub abroad with more passengers from India.

Aviation regulator DGCA has allowed IndiGo to wet lease wide-body Boeing planes from Turkish Airlines for up to six months and has rejected the domestic carrier's request for leasing the aircraft for up to two years.

Also read - Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?

This move of leasing wide body planes was taken because of the slowdown of deliveries of new aircraft and supply problems of Pratt & Whitney and CFM engines causing a large number of IndiGo and Go First Airbus A320 aircraft to be grounded.

Under wet lease arrangement, planes are leased among with operating crew and engineers.

Also read - IndiGo to debut with widebody aircraft for international expansion

IndiGo, which currently has only narrow-body planes in its fleet, decided to lease wide-body aircraft to operate more flights on international routes to meet rising demand.

IndiGo has a fleet of more than 275 planes and flies to 26 international destinations. It is also the country's largest domestic airline with a market share of 57.7 per cent in September.

The government is also looking at mega aviation hubs in India and is also encouraging domestic airlines to have wide-body planes in their fleets.

Also read - Government wants airlines to induct wide-body aircraft to reduce travel time

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Delhi airport, world's 10th busiest airport

Jinen Gada

28 Oct 2022

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the 10th busiest airport in the world in terms of seat capacity and frequency of domestic and international flights as of October 2022, reported Official Airline Guide (OAG).

Following the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the aviation industry experienced a significant decline in passenger and flight traffic. The industry gradually got back to business in 2022.

In its research, aviation analytics company OAG said the Delhi airport improved from its 14th position in October 2019, before the pandemic struck. The busiest airport in the world as of October 2022 is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport having serviced 47,47,367 seats.

Aviation analytics firm OAG said Delhi airport has improved its position from 14th place in October 2019, which was the pre-pandemic time.

Dubai International is second with 41,27,704 seats, followed by Tokyo International Airport with 38,77,164 seats and Dallas Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with 37,53,858 seats.

In fifth place is the Denver airport with 37,09,394 seats, followed by London Heathrow Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport at the 7th spot and Los Angeles International Airport at the 9th position, the OAG report.

"When compared to October 2019, 6 of the Top 10 this month were also among the world’s Top 10 busiest airports then; airports which have seen their rankings rise, bringing them into the Top 10 now, are Dallas/Fort Worth (from 12th to 4th), Denver (from 20th to 5th), Istanbul (from 13th to 8th), and Delhi (from 14th to 10th)."OAG said in the report.

The Indian aviation sector is recovering after being significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic that also saw scheduled international flight services remaining suspended for more than two years starting from March 2020.

DEL-DXB, one of the busiest route according to OAG.

In another report, OAG said Mumbai to Dubai and Delhi to Dubai were among the top 10 busiest international routes.

The busiest airline routes are those with the largest volume of scheduled seats during the period from October 2021 to September 2022.

“India is also seeing an increase in route capacity with two routes in the top 10, operating from Mumbai to Dubai (BOM-DXB) and Delhi to Dubai (DEL-DXB),” it said.

Also, the route between Mumbai and New York is among the largest unserved routes, which OAG defines as the routes with the largest volume of people travelling indirectly between two points.

(With inputs from HINDUSTANTIMES)

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DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease Turkish planes

Jinen Gada

27 Oct 2022

A slowdown in the delivery of new aircraft is forcing Indian airlines to wet lease planes to increase capacity for the upcoming winter schedule. India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has finalised a deal to wet lease up to three Boeing 777 aircraft in order to deploy higher capacity on international routes.

IndiGo, the largest customer of Airbus narrowbody aircraft globally, seems to be charting a new path for itself with wide-body aircraft coming to its rescue.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has turned down IndiGo’s request to wet lease (hire planes with operating crew and engineers) wide body aircraft (Boeing 777) from Turkish Airlines for two years — one year extendable by the same period.

DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease Turkish twin aisles for 2 years; allows for 6 months only.

The regulator is learnt to have “perceived” this request as a “diversion of traffic rights in collusion with a strong foreign carrier” that will mainly feed the latter’s hub abroad by bringing in hundreds of passengers from India on wide body aircraft, say people in the know.

A majority of these passengers will then take the foreign airline’s connecting flights from the hub to rest of the world and ditto on the way back to India. IndiGo has only single aisles in its fleet.

As a thumb rule, India allows wet or damp lease of aircraft for short periods of time to overcome sudden capacity constraints being face by desi airlines to ensure airfares don’t go through the roof for passengers.

IndiGo has been allowed to dry lease wide body aircraft by the DGCA for three months. The government has also allowed wet leasing for three months, with the option of extending it by another three months .

Bilaterals between India and Turkey allow only two flights daily between the two countries to be operated by airlines of either sides.

"Wet leasing aircraft essentially means an Indian airline is only issuing tickets for aircraft being operated by the carrier from which the planes have been taken. The entire operating crew and engineers are of the foreign airline.The Indian DGCA does not have adequate safety oversight on aircraft being operated under such an arrangement and therefore wet leasing is allowed to Indian carriers for short periods to tide over a capacity crisis.At the moment supply chain issues are leading to delays in getting not just engines, but also components. So we have allowed wet leasing for three months extendable by another three months."Said people in the know.

IndiGo has only single aisles in its fleet.

"In any case, Indian operator does not gain any meaningful experience by operating a wet leased aircraft and so it is not in larger public interest as it does not generate jobs for Indians. Lack of safety oversight on such operations is a matter of serious concern. Operations which hurt genuine wide body (Indian) carriers can’t be allowed,” they added.

Only two Tata Group airlines — Air India and Vistara — operate wide body aircraft. AI is dry leasing (hiring only aircraft that will be operated by AI crew) eight ex-Delta Boeing 777s for mounting additional US nonstops.

(With inputs from TIMES OF INDIA.)

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Delayed 787 Delivery makes vistara to cancel several flights

Jinen Gada

27 Oct 2022

Vistara has cancelled at least 14 flights connecting New Delhi with Frankfurt and Paris due to a delay in delivery of B787 aircraft, which it has leased from Irish lessor AerCap.

The B787 (also known as Dreamliner) aircraft was expected to be delivered by this time in October, but as it is still under refurbishment and maintenance processes, it will most likely be delivered some time in November, aviation industry executives said.

Vistara Cancels Several Flights To Europe Due To Delayed 787 Delivery.

Vistara had on August 6 stated that it has leased a Dreamliner and therefore, it will operate six flights every week on the New Delhi-Frankfurt route from October 30, instead of the three weekly services currently.

Moreover, the full-service carrier had said that it will operate five flights every week on the New Delhi-Paris route from October 30, instead of its two weekly flights currently. Accordingly, it opened bookings on these additional flights.

Since the leased plane has not been delivered yet, the airline has cancelled at least eight flights on the New Delhi-Frankfurt-New Delhi route and six flights on the New Delhi-Paris-New Delhi route between October 30 and November 6, the executives said.

Vistara had bought six Dreamliners from Boeing in 2018 but has received only two from the American plane-maker.

“We confirm that there has been a slight, unavoidable delay in the delivery of our third (leased) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, thereby impacting select bookings, of a few days, made for Vistara flights to/from Paris and Frankfurt.”We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers. We are in touch with them to offer various options that suit them best. Simultaneously, we are also working closely with relevant stakeholders to bring the aircraft into operations as soon as possible.”Vistara spokesperson.

Vistara had bought six Dreamliners from Boeing in 2018 but has received only two from the American plane maker. The second Dreamliner was delivered in August 2020. Since then, it has been waiting for Boeing to deliver the remaining four Dreamliners to boost its international flight operations.

Therefore, earlier this year, it had to take a Dreamliner on lease for the first time. The executives said the leased Dreamliner is currently in Abu Dhabi.

The leased Dreamliner is currently in Abu Dhabi.

Dreamliner is a wide-bodied aircraft with a bigger fuel tank that allows it to easily operate on long-haul international routes.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US aviation regulator, had in late 2020 told Boeing to make rectifications in Dreamliner’s production line before restarting the deliveries. Approximately three months back, the FAA allowed the American plane maker to restart the deliveries of Dreamliners. However, Boeing is yet to restart the deliveries of Dreamliners to Vistara.

(With inputs from BUSINESS STANDARD)

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