India's IndiGo to damp lease Boeing 787 from Norse Atlantic Airways (updated)

Norse Atlantic ASA

06/02/2025 08:21

(Adds details, background from paragraph 2)
       Feb 6 (Reuters) - India's top airline IndiGo  INGL.NS 
said on Thursday it will damp lease a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
widebody jet from Norse Atlantic Airways  NORSE.OL , with
operations starting in March, as part of its efforts to tap into
long-haul routes.
    In the damp lease agreement, Norse Atlantic will lease its
plane, along with pilots, or flight crew, and maintenance
services to IndiGo, which will provide cabin crew.
    IndiGo had about 14 jets on damp lease agreements at the end
of 2024 -- two from Turkish Airlines  THYAO.IS  and 12 from
Qatar Airways.
    The low-cost carrier will explore further opportunities to
contract more aircraft from Norse Atlantic Airways, it said in a
press release, without specifying if they would be on similar
lease agreements.
    Local business publications reported in December that IndiGo
would lease about six 787s from Norse Atlantic, as it seeks to
begin long-haul services before 2027, when the airline is
expected to receive the first of 30 Airbus A350 widebody jets.
    The airline is also expected to receive its first Airbus
A321XLR aircraft in 2025, a single-aisle jet that is capable of
flying non-stop from India to western Europe.
    IndiGo wants to capture a larger slice of the international
travel business from dominant Gulf airlines, whose one-stop
routes are currently more popular among Indian travellers.
    The airline currently flies to 38 international destinations
and aims to add two more by end-March. It deploys about 28% of
its capacity on international routes, spanning from Baku to
Bali.
    

 (Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio
D'Souza)
 ((Nandan.Mandayam@thomsonreuters.com; Mobile: +91 9591011727;))