GURUGRAM- India’s largest carrier, IndiGo Airlines (6E) has redeployed the leased Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on flights from Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM) to Istanbul (IST), Türkiye.
The Gurugram-based airline has wet-leased these planes from its codeshare partner carrier, Turkish Airlines (TK), enabling it to serve multiple routes across continents.
A wet lease is a contract between airlines where the lessor operates an aircraft under its own air operator certificate (AOC). The lessor supplies the aircraft, maintenance, insurance, and at least one crew member, while the lessee pays based on the aircraft’s usage, either by hours or flights.
IndiGo Airlines 777-300ER to IST
Well, a few days back IndiGo and Turkish Airlines’ wet-leased agreement paused due to termination of permits provided by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India.
IndiGo Airlines officials were in discussions with DGCA India to extend the lease agreement, as reported earlier.
IndiGo initiated operations of Boeing 777 aircraft on international routes, launching services from Delhi to Istanbul on February 1, 2023, and subsequently extending to the Mumbai-Istanbul route on May 17, 2023.
According to planespotters.net data, currently IndiGo has a fleet of two Boeing 777-300ERs and they are registered as follows:
- TC-LKD 15.6 Years Old
- TC-LKE 17.8 Years Old
The airline has maintained Boeing 777 operations on Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul routes until November 14. From November 15, the airline transitioned to Airbus A321 aircraft for these routes.
Affordable Fares with Capacity
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers highlighted the strategic importance of the Boeing 777 deployment, emphasizing how the additional capacity contributed to maintaining competitive fare structures on the Istanbul route.
The leased 777 aircraft, configured with 24 business and 376 economy seats, provided a substantial 400-passenger capacity.
IndiGo, through its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines, has expanded connections to several European destinations. These include countries such as Bulgaria, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Denmark, Ireland, the UK, Malta, France, the Czech Republic, Israel, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, and the city of Edinburgh.
As of November 2024, IndiGo’s fleet comprises 420 aircraft, including 45 ATR-72s, 43, A320-200s, 202 A320neos, 119 A321neos, Three freighter A321s, Six leased Boeing 737 MAX 8s from Qatar Airways (QR) and at last two 777-300ERs.
Feature Image by Kaan Can Ozdemir | Instagram
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