IndiGo Airlines seeks to phase-out A320-200s

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int’l) is planning to phase-out its 122 remaining A320-200s shortly, possibly accelerating their retirement, as it seeks to use the COVID-19 pandemic to push towards a more efficient, all neo narrowbody fleet. “We see an opportunity here to make the fleet more efficient. Particularly with the old classic ceos, which incur maintenance costs, which you know have been a real problem for us all through the year. We’re going to return them as rapidly as possible and therefore reduce our maintenance costs,” Chief Executive Ronojoy Dutta said during the carrier’s quarterly investor call. According to the ch-aviation fleets ownership module, all of IndiGo Airlines’ A320-200s are dry-leased. Dutta underlined that the LCC has relatively short-term lease contracts and was due to return most of the aircraft in the coming years anyway. In the case of high demand, it could evaluate extending the leases, but in the current downturn, this will surely not happen. Dutta underlined that the airline will seek to avoid any confrontation with the lessors and will not push for early termination of leases, choosing instead to return the aircraft as scheduled. The airline has been retiring A320s over the past months, having phased out eight units since the end of March 2019.