The largest Indian airline, IndiGo, leases 6 737 MAX 8 aircraft from Qatar Airways under a wet lease arrangement. The aircraft will be used for flights to and from Doha, and the carrier says this is a result of engine and supply chain issues on the existing fleet. This is the first time that IndiGo, the operator of Airbus aircraft, has Boeing narrow-body aircraft in its flight network. This is a kind of addition to Boeing’s wide-body fleet in IndiGo, i.e. the addition of two Boeing 777s already leased from Turkish Airlines.
According to Airfleets, IndiGo currently has 335 aircraft in its fleet, of which 24 are grounded. Otherwise, the Indian carrier based its fleet on aircraft from the Airbus family, A320 and A321 in CEO and NEO versions, and 45 regional turboprop ATR 72 aircraft. In addition, IndiGo placed a record order last year, in which 500 aircraft from the A320 family were ordered, including an A321XLR.
Qatar Airways currently has 9 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet, and this move potentially indicates that Qatar Airways cannot currently find room for this aircraft in its flight network, despite general delays in the delivery of new aircraft on order. In addition to that, Qatar Airways expects delivery of the 25 not-yet-certified Boeing 737 MAX 10s.
