India to ground 200 planes

This includes IndiGo, Go First, SpiceJet, and Air India, among others.

A fresh narrative is developing while representing a significant obstacle to domestic airlines in India, even as the number of passengers using the country's airports rises and carriers get ready for the next season's high demand. According to a recent study by CAPA India, the country is expected to have 200 planes out of commission by the end of the fiscal year in March 2024. The number of grounded aircraft is 160 at the moment.

The biggest airline in India, IndiGo, has been in the lead for quite some time now, with many Airbus A320 planes grounded owing to an engine shortage caused by a shaky global supply chain. Due to the persistent difficulties with Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, the airline anticipates a number of more aircraft to be taken out of service.

Even though Air India has been slowly repairing its grounded fleet, CAPA India predicts that 20-25 AI planes would also be part of the country's suspended fleet. Another budget airline, SpiceJet, is also likely to halt around 20 aircraft.

All 54 Airbus A320s belonging to Go First, an Indian airline that halted operations in May and is now fighting for a return, are on the list of grounded planes. Tensions have arisen between the airline and its lessors, who are now seeking the return of their planes.

But how are airlines handling the spike in passenger volume and keeping to their schedules? Although it is bracing for more grounding in the months ahead, IndiGo has expanded its network to include several domestic and foreign locations in the last few months.

Increasingly, Indian airlines are turning to wet and short-term dry leasing as a means to fulfil capacity needs. Wet-leasing two Boeing 777s to serve Istanbul solely has allowed IndiGo to reallocate part of its A320 fleet to other routes.

In addition to signing a lease deal for ten A320neos with BOC Aviation Limited, the low-cost airline will wet lease a number of additional A320s. The A320neo family of aircraft currently makes up the bulk of IndiGo's fleet, but the airline has opted to hold on to a number of older A320ceos that were about to retire and has broadened the lease on over 30 additional planes.

SpiceJet recently disclosed the addition of five leased Boeing 737s, three of which are 737 MAX aircraft, to its fleet, and the airline is already flying several wet-leased 737s, including MAX models. During the hectic winter months, this would surely assist the airline in meeting rising demand.

Air India has not wet-leased any planes yet, but in order to grow its North American network, it has put more wide-body jets on dry lease. Also, to back up its expanding activities, it has added a number of narrow-body aircraft to its fleet and will keep adding more in the months to follow.

 

Source: simpleflying.com