IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) has signed a damp-lease agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for three additional B787-9s, increasing the total number of aircraft covered by the deal to four. The first of the four, signed in early February, will enter into service on March 1, 2025, on the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi route.
The Delhi-based airline announced that the three additional B787s will be added to its fleet in the second half of 2025, serving long-haul routes out of India. The initial agreement signed between the two airlines is for six months but is extendable to up to 18 months.
Chief executive Pieter Elbers suggested that the incremental B787-9s will be deployed on new services to Europe, but he did not reveal specific routes.
"This damp lease will help us make strategic inroads and establish the brand in the European market," he said.
IndiGo and Norse Atlantic Airways signed the initial damp-lease agreement for one B787-9 on February 6. The first aircraft, LN-FNC (msn 38790), will be ferried to Delhi International on February 26, according to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, and will enter into revenue service on the Bangkok route on March 1.
IndiGo Airlines currently serves Bangkok with A321-200NX narrowbodies.
LN-FNC is configured for up to 338 passengers, including 56 premium economy seats. IndiGo confirmed it will offer its IndiGoStretch premium product on the flights operated by the B787s.
Six out of eight B787-9s operated by Norse Atlantic Airways boast the same cabin configuration, while the other two, currently wet-leased to Neos Air, are outfitted with 309 seats in economy and 35 in premium economy. The airline revealed in November 2024 that it would wet-lease up to six B787-9s to a "reputable international airline" and has now confirmed that the four aircraft to be operated for IndiGo are in line with the earlier announcements.
The Indian airline currently operates 407 aircraft (of which 319 are active), and wet-leases a further 29 aircraft (including two widebody B777-300ERs from Turkish Airlines). Its in-house fleet consists of fifty ATR72-600s, twenty-six A320-200s, 198 A320-200Ns, 132 A321-200NX, and three A321-200(P2F)s.
The company has 926 aircraft on order, mainly for A320neo Family aircraft, with a notable exception of thirty A350-900s. The delivery of the first factory-new A350 for IndiGo, its first in-house widebody, is scheduled for 2027. The airline is in discussions with the manufacturer about an acceleration of deliveries.
