IndiGo expands wide-body fleet with 2 more Boeing 787-9 aircraft from Norse Atlantic Airways

India’s largest airline IndiGo has further expanded its long-haul capabilities by signing another agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for the damp lease of two additional Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. These aircraft, the fifth and sixth in this partnership, are expected to start operations by early 2026, serving long-haul routes out of India.

This agreement builds upon the existing partnership between IndiGo and Norse Atlantic Airways. Earlier this year, IndiGo signed firm agreements for the damp lease of one Boeing 787-9 aircraft, followed by another firm agreement in quick succession for three more Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The total number of wide-body aircraft under this strategic collaboration now stands at six, one of which has already arrived and operating on IndiGo’s Delhi–Bangkok route from March 1, 2025.

On February 6, 2025, IndiGo signed the first damp lease agreement with Norse Atlantic for the Boeing 787-9. On March 21, the Gurugram-based carrier announced another agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for the damp lease of three Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

“We are pleased to deepen our partnership with Norse Atlantic Airways by signing our third agreement for addition of two more Boeing 787-9 aircraft. This move reinforces our commitment to international growth and our customers, promising to introduce more options on long-haul routes. As we accelerate towards our vision of becoming a global airline by 2030, this partnership enables us to bolster our wide-body operations while staying rooted in our India-first approach,” said Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo.

The initial term of the lease is six months, extendable up to 18 months, and is subject to regulatory approvals.

In an interview to Fortune India last month, Elbers said IndiGo plans to accelerate its international expansion with the help of damp leases as it awaits the deliveries of Airbus A350s by 2027. IndiGo has placed the world’s largest order for aircraft. “We have more than 900 aircraft on order. We have a large orderbook of pretty much one plane a week for the next decade. If that shifts a bit, we can deal with it. Some of these supply chain challenges in the last two years we have been able to deal with all kinds of mitigating measures and damp leases,” said Elbers.

IndiGo will fly long haul starting this summer with flights to Amsterdam and Manchester. IndiGo, which currently has a fleet of 400 aircraft, is looking to double its fleet size by the end of the decade.