Last week, IndiGo inducted another plane in its fleet. For an airline which is habitual in inducting at an average of one aircraft a week, this would not have raised any eyebrows but in this case, it did! IndiGo, which is sharply focused on fleet renewal and has diligently worked towards inducting fuel efficient A320neo family aircraft and retiring the A320ceo, inducted a (hold your breath) 17 year old A320ceo. Registered VT-IKK, the aircraft started its life in 2006, a few weeks before IndiGo took its first flight.
For an airline which focused on sending the aircraft out of its fleet at the completion of six years, a 17 year old aircraft is nothing short of shock. But unique times call for unique solutions. If this isn’t interesting enough, VT-IKK is operating for IndiGo and is registered in India for the second time! The aircraft spent some time in India with IndiGo as VT-IHJ from December 2017 until being withdrawn from service in the middle of the pandemic.
The induction of A320neo has been anything but smooth for IndiGo. From In-flight shutdowns to mandatory checks and groundings, the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines have troubled IndiGo. While in the news now for Go FIRST blaming Pratt & Whitney for its voluntary bankruptcy filing, the sailing (or shall we say flying) has not been smooth for IndiGo either. To tide over the crisis, the airline decided to induct aircraft in every possible way. This meant that IndiGo added aircraft which were much older than six years – the age at which it withdrew them from the fleet. Unusual problems, unconventional solutions. IndiGo, thus saw planes which earlier operated for Kingfisher Airlines, Air Deccan, TigerAir, Go Air and many others join its fleet.
What is more interesting than VT-IKK joining the fleet twice? It is not the only aircraft to join IndiGo’s fleet twice! VT-INN, one of the initial aircraft which entered IndiGo’s fleet, re-entered as VT-IHG. Its initial tenure was from November 2007 to December 2008. It re-entered in August 2017 and was withdrawn from service in early days of 2019!
With this induction, IndiGo’s A320ceo fleet goes back to 20 aircraft having returned two A320ceos to the lessor recently. Interestingly, the returns were handled at its own facility in Bengaluru – one of the few times that this has happened.
As VT-IKK, the 17 year old aircraft joined the fleet, VT-IHZ lost the tag of being the oldest plane in the fleet currently. At 16.3 years, it is now the second oldest aircraft in IndiGo’s fleet.
IndiGo still has a large number of A320neo family aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines and with no specific signs to show that the engine availability would improve overnight, will there be more A320ceo coming in?
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