IndiGo is already out of Manchester and returns one Norse 787

A rendering of an indigo Airbus A350-900 in the distinctive carrier's livery. The airline is still awaiting delivery of the first of these aircraft while it pulls other Manchester, returning one of Norse leased Boeing 787-9.

Written by

Alex Achille

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IndiGo just couldn’t wait to get its hands on a wide-body aircraft fast enough and start operating flights between India and Europe. However, now it’s already shutting down one of its European destinations, Manchester, and returning one of six leased Norse Atlantic Airways Boeing 787s to the lessor.

In this post:

IndiGo Pulls Out Of Manchester From September 1st 2026

I found it rather surprising how Indigo pulled out of Manchester so soon. We all know that the current geopolitical landscape is not the most favorable to airlines, especially low-cost carriers, and all the more to low-cost long-haul carriers.

Fuel is the number one issue. The rising prices have made some routes unviable and unprofitable. This is the main issue for IndiGo as well.

More precisely, Indigo is suffering from the rising fuel prices and the logistical nightmare of having to avoid the Middle Eastern airspace on many occasions.

This has pushed operational costs way up for its most distant destination in the European network: Manchester.

Flights between Delhi and Mumbai and Manchester have been active since March 2025, when Indigo started serving the routes using leased Norse Atlantic Airways Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

The route will disappear just 18 months after that launch date.

An Indigo Airbus A320, which makes up the entirety of the airline's owned fleet, while it awaits A350 deliveries and operates wet-leased Boeing 787-9s from Norse Atlantic Airways
Indigo Airlines pulls out of Manchester and returns one of its wet-leased Boeing 787-9 to Norse.

Is The Demand Really Strong for IndiGo Flights?

The airline states that demand for these flights has been encouraging and strong. However, the first headwind has pushed the airline over the limit.

It feels like if demand was really that strong, Indigo would be able to weather the storm and increase prices, particularly as options via the Middle East might not be as reliable in the current aviation landscape. Instead, the airline is pulling out of Manchester.

Indigo is working hard to say that this is a temporary stop to flights, but it’s hard to see how that is the case, particularly since it’s also returning one of six wet-leased Boeing 787-9 to Norse Atlantic Airways.

If you think that the route is profitable, you will do everything to hold on to operations, waiting for better times to come. However, that is not the case with IndiGo’s flights to Manchester.

With Manchester out of the network, Indigo’s European network continues to shrink down to just two destinations: London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol.

A map of the original Indigo European route network, which, with the closing down of Manchester as a destination, will have only Amsterdam and London Heathrow left.
The original Indigo European network, which was much more ambitious than what will be left after August 31st when the airline shuts down its Manchester flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Image by GCMap.com

Norse Atlantic Redelivered a Boeing 787-9 – Clouds Building Ahead?

Now that we’ve covered the Indigo side of things, it’s time to focus on Norse.

The fact that Indigo is pulling out of Manchester has implications for the Scandinavian long-haul low-cost carrier also.

Indigo still does not own any widebody aircraft, as it still has to take delivery of its first ordered A350s, which will be coming in 2027.

So far, all of its European long-haul operations have been handled in a wet lease agreement with Norse.

With one of six leased aircraft coming back, it does create some problems and a bit of a worry for the Scandinavian carrier.

The wet-lease agreement between Norse and Indigo was a win-win situation for both parties:

  • Indigo got its wide-body aircraft. It needed to operate flights to Europe.
  • Norse got a steady flow of cash, which it desperately needed to balance its sheets.

Getting one of these planes back means that it will have to be either redeployed on Norse’s network or it will have to go into long-term storage.

Luckily for Norse, the aircraft will be coming back on August 31st, 2026, which is just ahead of the winter season when some of Norse’s leisure, most profitable routes kick off from Northern Europe to Thailand and South East Asia.

However, that will last a few months at best if the situation is favorable, but then what will happen? Will this additional aircraft become a burden?

Luckily for Norse, it seems like Indigo will continue to use the remaining five Boeing 787-9 and will not be returning any of those.

But as I mentioned, Indigo will be receiving its first fully owned white-body aircraft in 2027. What happens then for Norse?

If the European low-cost carrier will not be able to find a long-term solution and become profitable, the arrival of IndiGo’s A350s could be the end of the line.

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Alex Achille Avatar
Ex Emirates Cabin Crew and long time aviation enthusiast. I can remember loving aviation and planes since I was a very little boy. I have developed my passion into a deep knowledge of the sector and industry to offer on my sites in depth and precise analyses of what is going on. I also completed cabin crew training with Ryanair, however, I never worked for the company (more on that another time). Finally I also have taken flying lessons completing my first solo flights.