IndiGo, India's biggest airline by market share, is inducting Boeing planes into its fleet for the first time to bolster its international operations.
Official sources confirmed to CNBC-TV18 that the airline is inducting upto four wide-body Boeing 777 planes through a wet lease, which means the aircraft will come with crew, maintenance, and insurance.
Earlier in the day, IndiGo had confirmed its decision to induct more aircraft for its international operations.
"International air travel is going through a strong period of recovery, and demand continues to rise in the upcoming festive and winter season. This is a positive sign for the industry and IndiGo remains very bullish on strong growth for international travel to and from India in the future," the airline said.
"As an interim measure, we have decided to take on wet lease certain aircraft to cover the shortfall for our scheduled international operations," the statement further added.
However, the airline declined to comment on CNBC-TV18's query on whether these planes will be Boeing 777, or of some other make.
IndiGo has over 275 aircraft in its current fleet — largely narrow-body Airbus planes. The airline operates over 1,600 daily flights connecting 74 domestic destinations and 26 international routes.
Industry experts say the induction of wide-body aircraft will help IndiGo fly directly on long and ultra-longhaul routes like Europe and United States, which are top destinations among Indian travellers.
First Published: Oct 12, 2022 9:47 PM IST
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