IndiGo Axes Leased Dreamliners Amid Fuel Price Crisis

IndiGo, India's largest airline by country mile, has ended its damp lease of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from Norse Atlantic Airways. The move is a result of soaring jet-fuel prices, currency pressure, and airspace restrictions lengthening routes.

The airline had borrowed the Dreamliners and their pilots to launch its first intercontinental routes, but now it's pulling back from routes that only worked on borrowed aircraft. One leased Dreamliner has already been returned to Norse in June, and the Mumbai-Manchester service will be suspended by 31 August.

IndiGo is switching to the brand-new Airbus A321XLR on its Mumbai-Amsterdam route from October 25, which offers lower operating costs compared to the Dreamliner. The London Heathrow route will also be paused until IndiGo takes delivery of its own Airbus A350-900s in 2027.