DGCA revises norms for wet, damp leasing of aircraft

India’s civil aviation safety regulator has revised the approval criteria for the ‘wet’ as well as ‘damp’ leasing of aircraft by domestic airlines.

Accordingly, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has updated the norms governing the wet and the damp leasing of aircraft by Indian carriers.

In aviation parlance, a wet lease refers to an arrangement where the lessor provides the aircraft along with the crew, maintenance and insurance.

Under a damp lease the provision of the aircraft and partial crew support, with the lessee supplying the remaining personnel.

Notably, a majority of India’s more than 800 aircraft in commercial service are on lease.

According to the updated regulation, scheduled airlines may now seek DGCA approval to induct foreign-registered aircraft on a wet or damp lease basis for any emergent operational situations such as the grounding of aircraft or unforeseen maintenance requirements. 

However, the restriction will not apply to leases undertaken for government’s own requirements, including Haj operations.

Besides, the revised Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) empowers the regulator to relax, on a one-time basis, the minimum ‘Effective Implementation’ (EI) score requirement for permitting a wet or damp lease of aircraft for a duration not exceeding six months. 

This relaxation can only be granted under “exigent circumstance” and provided that the aircraft is inducted within forty-five days from the date of in-principle approval. 

Importantly, no further relaxation may be considered until 12 months after the expiry of the previously granted relaxation period.

Furthermore, the amendment stipulates that aircraft proposed for passenger transport under a wet or damp lease must be less than 20 years old, while those intended for cargo operations must be below 25 years of age.

The DGCA has also clarified that under such leasing arrangements, the lessor retains operational control of the aircraft, and all flight operations must comply with the operational specifications issued by the ‘State of the Operator’. 

In addition, the continuing airworthiness of the leased aircraft will be ensured by the lessor and maintained through a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility approved by the ‘State of Registry’.

As per industry insiders, the updated framework will provide operational flexibility to Indian carriers while maintaining safety compliance standards.

Published on November 7, 2025