Indian airline IndiGo on Tuesday announced that it will temporarily halt its flights to Manchester, UK due to ongoing restrictions on international airspace, longer flight durations, and a challenging cost environment.
As a result of this decision, the airline will return one of its six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which was acquired on a wet or wet lease from Norris Atlantic Airways.
IndiGo said it will continue to operate all its other long-haul flights as planned and that the move is part of adjusting its international operations strategy.
“Due to continuing international airspace restrictions resulting in a significant increase in flight duration and a challenging cost environment, IndiGo is required to temporarily cease flight operations to and from Manchester with effect from 31 August 2026. As a result of this decision, the airline plans to return one of its six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, acquired under a wet/wet lease, to Norse Atlantic Airways. IndiGo will continue to operate all remaining long-haul flights as planned.”
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner leased in 2025
The airline leased six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from Norse Atlantic Airways in early 2025 to begin its entry into the European market before launching services with its own Airbus A350 fleet.
The project was aimed at strengthening the IndiGo brand in Europe. However, the company said operations were impacted by industry-wide challenges, including geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs, airspace restrictions, and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, all of which pushed operating costs much higher than expected.
“IndiGo leased six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from Norse Atlantic Airways in early 2025. The aim of this project was to make strategic moves to establish the IndiGo brand in the European market, before commencing services using its Airbus A350 aircraft. However, the airline has since seen a significant impact of prevailing industry-wide challenges, including geopolitical developments in the Middle East, rising Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) costs, And severe airspace restrictions, and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, which resulted in operating costs being significantly higher than originally expected,” the statement added.
‘Temporary in nature’
IndiGo said the decision to suspend its Manchester services is “temporary” and driven by operational and cost pressures associated with longer flight durations caused by airspace restrictions and higher expenses.
“The response and support to these services has strengthened our belief in the opportunity for IndiGo’s long-term ambitions, and this pause is temporary in nature. We look forward to serving this route again at the earliest opportunity and are exploring innovative solutions to continue our collaboration with Norse Atlantic Airways,” said Senior Vice President – Network Planning and Revenue Management at IndiGo, Abhijit Dasgupta.
“Unfortunate,” says Dasgupta.
He further said that the airline introduced wide-body aircraft on a short-term basis to accelerate its entry into the long-haul markets, adding that it was “regrettable” to temporarily discontinue our services between India and Manchester.
“We have been operating these wide-body aircraft on a short-haul basis to accelerate our connectivity to potential long-haul destinations such as Manchester, and have seen a very encouraging response to demand. Therefore, it is unfortunate that longer flying times due to airspace constraints coupled with significantly escalating costs have forced us to take the decision to temporarily halt our India-Manchester services. We would like to thank our customers and business partners in India, the UK and Manchester Airport for their incredible support.”
The airline added that it will notify affected passengers in advance and provide assistance, including alternative travel options or refunds where possible.
