TBM Staff - Mumbai Over 150 aircraft belonging to Indian airlines are grounded, and that number could increase to 200 by March 2024, CAPA India said in its mid-year outlook on Monday.
Indian carriers have a fleet of around 750 aircraft. According to CAPA India, 161-166 planes are grounded at present; thus, grounded planes account for a fifth of the combined total fleet of all carriers.
Go First’s 54 planes were grounded after the airline filed for insolvency in May. IndiGo’s 45 A320Neo planes are grounded due to non-availability of engines (CAPA report puts the figure at 55), and the number is expected to rise by another 30-40 as the airline is expected to ground more planes for inspections in the first quarter of CY 2024.
Yet despite the supply chain issues and Go First bankruptcy, domestic and international traffic will record growth this year, the consultancy said.
“ Despite the sudden exit of Go First in May, the fact that there are 150 plus aircraft and the worsening supply chain issues, domestic traffic has shown resilience. CAPA Advisory expects traffic to reach around 155 million passengers in FY 2024 or 15 per cent higher than last year,” it said.
“ International traffic has also maintained growth in line with our original guidance and is expected to end the year at around 70 million passengers despite the large number of aircraft on ground,” CAPA India said. (Source: Business Line)
