Till now, wide body aircraft were allowed wet leasing only for six months.
With the Ministry of Civil Aviation easing norms for Indian airlines, companies can now take wide-body aircraft on wet lease for up to a year. According to news agency PTI, this step has been taken to further the efforts to make the country a major international hub for air traffic.
Till now, wide body aircraft were allowed wet leasing only for six months.
A senior ministry official said the rules have been relaxed and airlines that want to operate wide-body aircraft will be allowed to operate such aircraft on wet lease for up to one year.
IndiGo on Sunday said it has approached the Civil Aviation Ministry and received a communication regarding the ministry's approval to allow wet/damp lease aircraft to Indian carriers for a period of six months, reported PTI. .
Such relaxation will be available to all Indian carriers upon their specific request and the ministry will consider the same depending on the international destinations the airline wishes to operate, it said in an official statement.
"We plan to induct B777 aircraft on wet/damp lease basis during the current winter schedule," the airline said.
Last month, aviation regulator DGCA allowed IndiGo to wet lease wide-body Boeing aircraft from Turkish Airlines for up to six months. PTI reported that under the wet lease arrangement, the aircraft are taken on lease along with the operating crew and engineers.
The ministry official further said that Indian airlines that want to operate planes on wet lease to the United States and Europe will be allowed to continue with that arrangement for a year.
He also said that the idea of allowing wet leasing of aircraft for longer periods would help Indian carriers to operate more wide-body aircraft.
According to the ministry official, Air India is also being stabilized and it will take more time for them to get widebody aircraft. Currently, Air India is dry leasing aircraft as it expands operations.
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