Indigo Adds Six Dreamliners: Long-Haul Flights Begin Soon
Intro
Indigo, one of the largest carriers in India, has just announced that it is in the final stages of acquiring six 787-9s from Norse Atlantic. As Air India has recently merged with Vistara, Indigo plans to go head-to-head with its rival competitor and begin to launch long-haul routes.
The Details
Earlier this year, the major player in the market, Indigo, announced that they had placed an order for 30 Airbus A350-900s to be delivered starting in 2027. However, it seems that Indigo might be launching flights sooner since they have decided to lease six Norse Atlantic 787-9s.
Well, rumors have spread online that this agreement is in the final stages of being processed and will soon be completed. From what we can gather, the routes will be sold and marketed by Indigo but operated by Norse Atlantic, aka, a wet lease agreement. From what we know, Indigo presumably wants to launch its service in Paris and London, which are highly competitive but lucrative markets.
It's interesting since this deal should be finalized right around the beginning of their A321XLR deliveries. Indigo could go from a sole narrowbody fleet to easily being able to operate to Hong Kong/London/Paris/Denpasar, and more within a year.
My Thoughts
In the past few years, Indigo has had two main competitors to go up against in the Indian aviation market. However, with the merger between Vistara and Air India and the controversy on Air India across social media at the moment, this might be the perfect opportunity to capitalize on. In my opinion, this is a great move on their part as they are able to begin to operate flights to London and Paris with very little downside. Clearly, there are loyal customers to Indigo, and if they fly overseas, they will happily fly with them.
Final Thoughts
Indigo and Norse Atlantic are in the final stages of coming to a wet lease agreement. In the past, this has been frowned upon by the Indian Aviation Authority, but due to a shortage of aircraft and rising ticket costs, they seemed to have relaxed this ban. Expect to see Indigo selling flights to London and Paris soon. However, the hard product will be operated by a Norse Atlantic 787-9.
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