IndiGo announced on Sunday that it is considering enabling codeshare connectivity to the United States and Canada through its partnership with Turkish Airlines. According to a senior official, the airline has received permission from the civil aviation ministry to wet lease up to two planes for flights to the United States and Canada.
In response to questions about the matter, IndiGo said on Sunday that it is constantly evaluating and discussing opportunities with aircraft manufacturers, but that it is all speculation at this point.
“At this time, our goal is to enable codeshare connectivity to the United States and Canada through our partnership with Turkish Airlines following the required application and approval process,” the statement said.
Codesharing allows an airline to book passengers on partner airlines and provide seamless travel to locations where it does not have a presence. The airline’s plans also coincide with Air India beginning to ramp up its international operations and expanding its fleet with new aircraft orders. IndiGo began flying wide-body Boeing 777s between Delhi and Istanbul in February. Turkish Airlines has taken the plane on wet lease, and this is the first time the budget carrier has flown a wide-body aircraft.
Planes are leased along with the operating crew and engineers under the wet lease arrangement. Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly. IndiGo intends to enable codeshare connectivity to the United States and Canada. The airline currently has over 300 planes in its fleet, with another 500 on order.
IndiGo, the country’s largest airline in terms of domestic market share, operates approximately 1,800 flights daily and is focusing on internationalisation, preparing to fly to more international destinations.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told PTI in February that the airline has always kept the option of wide-body aircraft open but did not provide specifics. “IndiGo has never ruled out any possibility. We do have a substantial order book. We have nearly 500 aircraft on order, with a steady stream of deliveries on the way.