IndiGo’s 787-9s are heading to Manchester and Amsterdam from July 1, 2025

IndiGo has been a surprise story over the past couple of years as it breaks away from the mould that observers have cast it, investors and everyone else. The airline has a significant focus on international expansion. To this effect, it ordered the Airbus A350 last year, and already has the Airbus A321XLR on order (of which they are the largest customer).

IndiGo’s wet lease Norse Atlantic Airways’ 787 Aircraft.

During the Christmas—New Year break, it emerged that IndiGo will not wait until 2027 to launch widebody operations but will move in earlier.

Norse Atlantic Airways’ 787-9 aircraft

In November 2024, Norse Atlantic reported to its investors that the airline had tentatively finalised a deal to lease six of its 787-9 jets without naming the customer. Here is the announcement,

On 22 November 2024, the Company entered a detailed letter of intent (the “LOI”) with a reputable international airline for wet lease agreements (“wet lease”) for six aircraft, subject to final agreements, mutual corporate approvals and regulatory approvals. The initial contract term could be further extended, subject to regulatory approval, to cover a longer-term period, with an estimated contract value of USD 462 million over that extended term. Pursuant to the LOI, and provided final agreements are executed based on the terms therein, two aircraft are expected to be deployed in February 2025, with an additional four aircraft expected in September 2025. Norse will be entitled to payment for 350 block hours per aircraft each month, with additional payments possible if utilization exceeds 350 hours per month.

On February 6, 2025, IndiGo and Norse Atlantic announced they are proceeding with the 787-9 damp lease project. To begin with, IndiGo damp-leased one Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner widebody jet from Norse Atlantic Airways, with operations beginning in March as part of its efforts to tap into long-haul routes. The initial term of the agreement is six months, extendable to up to 18 months, subject to regulatory approvals. Subsequently, IndiGo confirmed it will add another three jets in the summer of 2025, and recently confirmed the wet lease of another two jets to arrive as of 2026.

As a part of the agreement, IndiGo will get an aircraft on lease, along with the cockpit crew and maintenance services, while IndiGo will provide its cabin crew (just like they do with their Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 operations).

Taking the promise of ‘India by IndiGo’ further, the airline will partner with Indian brands, bringing the best of India to the world. This flight will feature IndiGoStretch, and customers can enjoy specially curated meals by Oberoi Catering Services, paired with beverages by Sula Vineyards.

The Boeing 787-9 aircraft features 56 IndiGoStretch seats in a 2x3x2 configuration with an impressive 43-inch seat pitch. The economy class offers 282 seats in a 3x3x3 configuration, providing a generous 31-inch seat pitch for a relaxed travel experience. The FlyNorse Premium Economy has been repurposed as IndiGoStretch.

IndiGoStretch customers can enjoy complimentary benefits like priority check-in, anytime boarding, advance seat selection, and a zero-convenience fee. They will also receive an additional baggage allowance of 30 kg at check-in and up to 12 kg for one bag in the cabin.

IndiGo to fly the 787-9 to Manchester and Amsterdam.

IndiGo had unveiled the first destination of its 787-9 operations. As of March 1, 2025, IndiGo will take the 787-9 and upgrade its Delhi—Bangkok route to operate with it. This is clearly to integrate the aircraft into the fleet and train the crew, so it is more like a familiarisation flight. The airline eventually intended to fly these aircraft to Europe later in the year, as disclosed in Pieter’s Statement.

Now, IndiGo has formally announced what we knew all along. IndiGo today announced its first-ever long-haul route connecting Mumbai (India) with Manchester (United Kingdom), becoming the only airline to offer nonstop service between these two cities, starting July 01, 2025. Upgrading its in-flight dining experience, IndiGo also announced that complimentary hot meals and beverages will be served to all customers on this route. The airline will use its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to operate thrice weekly flights on the route. This will make IndiGo the only airline offering direct connectivity between India and the Northern UK. The flights are open for bookings across channels.

Here are the timings of the flight operations.

The image is a table displaying flight information. It has columns for Flight Number, Origin, Destination, Effective Date, Frequency, Departure, and Arrival.

- Flight 6E 0031: Origin is Mumbai, Destination is Manchester, Effective from 01-July-25, operates on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, departs at 04:15, and arrives at 09:15.
- Flight 6E 0032: Origin is Manchester, Destination is Mumbai, Effective from 01-July-25, operates on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, departs at 12:00, and arrives at 01:35.

Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo, said,

IndiGo’s long-haul foray marks a pivotal moment in our global expansion journey. We are very proud as well as excited to open the sale of our first long-haul service connecting Mumbai with Manchester, a very special route in many ways. Celebrating India and its unique cuisine, we’re thrilled to announce that specially crafted complimentary hot meals and beverages, by iconic home-grown Indian brands, will be served to all our customers on this route. The new route will provide seamless connection to a vast majority of 90+ Indian destinations on IndiGo’s domestic network benefiting customers travelling from Manchester to Mumbai. This service by IndiGo will thereby further enhance connectivity between India and the UK, fostering stronger economic, educational, and cultural ties. Beyond supporting the growing Indian diaspora in the region, these direct flights are expected to boost two-way tourism, ease travel for students, professionals and leisure travellers, and unlock new avenues for bilateral trade and collaboration between the two countries. We look forward to a strong and synergistic partnership with Manchester airport, to be able to serve our customers well. This significant step underscores our commitment to becoming an airline of truly global scale and stature and contributing towards transforming India into a global aviation hub.

And on the next day, the flights will depart for Amsterdam. IndiGo has also announced expansion into Europe with its first-ever non-stop flight from Mumbai to Amsterdam, set to launch on July 02, 2025. Similar to the earlier operation, IndiGo also announced that complimentary hot meals and beverages will be served to all customers on this route. The thrice weekly service will be operated with IndiGo’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The flights are open for bookings across channels.

The image is a table displaying flight information. It includes the following columns: Flight No., Origin, Destination, Frequency, Effective, Departure, and Arrival.

- Flight 6E 0021 travels from Mumbai to Amsterdam on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, effective from 02-July-25, departing at 05:25 and arriving at 11:00.
- Flight 6E 0022 travels from Amsterdam to Mumbai on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, effective from 02-July-25, departing at 14:00 and arriving at 01:55.

Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo, added,

I am thrilled to announce IndiGo’s long-haul debut to Amsterdam. We are stretching our wings further to enhance accessibility and convenience to customers travelling to Europe for leisure, business, and education, as well as unlocking IndiGo’s unparalleled domestic network, showcasing ‘India by IndiGo’ to foreign travellers. Celebrating India and its unique cuisine, we’re very proud to announce specially curated complimentary hot meals and beverages, by iconic home-grown Indian brands, will be served to all our customers on this route. This will a major milestone in our international growth journey as we move towards our vision to become a global aviation leader, propelling India’s ambition of transforming into a global aviation hub. The Netherlands and India share a strong and thriving bilateral relationship, and this new non-stop, thrice-weekly service between Mumbai and Amsterdam will only deepen the growing ties between the two nations. We are closely working with Schiphol Airport to provide customers with our quintessential seamless and hassle-free travel experience. With this route, we continue to bridge economies, cultures, and communities, while tapping into new exciting markets rich in history and potential. With every new global connection, IndiGo is taking India to the world and bringing the world to India.

Interestingly, IndiGo is launching these flights from Mumbai, instead of Delhi first. The closure of the Pakistani Airspace to Indian carriers has everything to do with this move, and perhaps the airline will use later aircraft to establish those services (with the hope that the airspace might be open by then)

Bottomline

IndiGo has confirmed the launch of its 787-9 operations on flights between Mumbai and Manchester and Amsterdam in the second half of the year. Currently, IndiGo will offer the IndiGoStretch product on board and the Economy cabin, and catering will be done by Oberoi Flight Services, just like domestic IndiGoStretch operations. Catering in this case will be offered to all passengers and not just the ones flying upfront.

What do you think of IndiGo’s move to fly the 787-9 to Amsterdam and Manchester?

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