IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, has announced the suspension of services to Manchester effective August 31, 2026. This comes barely a year after starting services from Mumbai (July 01, 2025) and subsequently from Delhi (November 15, 2025). The airline has cited high operational costs, increased fuel prices and longer flying times for the decision. IndiGo took its first dreamliner from Norse Atlantic in February 2025, while the sixth entered its fleet early this year. With the decision to suspend Manchester operations, the airline is returning one of its six planes at the end of August to Norse Atlantic, which itself is in stress due to the current market situation. Norse Atlantic had hoped for a stable future with half its fleet tied up with ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) operations and the airline utilising the rest of its six planes for its own operations.
The pull-out is the fourth setback to connectivity between India and Manchester, with Air India and Jet Airways being the other carriers which pulled out in the past, while Virgin Atlantic announced flights which never started due to the pandemic.
IndiGo pullout
The airspace closure has hit IndiGo hard from the beginning of its damp leased operations. Manchester now joins Copenhagen which saw an even smaller duration of operations from IndiGo. The next time IndiGo is back to the drawing board for expansion, it will have to factor in many more parameters before finalising its expansion.
Is this also the beginning of the end of the legacy of Pieter Elbers, its former CEO under whom the airline ventured into two class operations, started a frequent flier program and started these damp leased operations to Europe? Cost pressures will make the airline change its tact as it awaits the joining of Willie Walsh as its new CEO. Known for ruthless cutting of costs, IndiGo could take a new trajectory under Walsh, with the blessings of promoter Bhatia.
Past operations
Jet Airways operated to Manchester from Mumbai, five times a week. The airline started the service in November 2018 and ended nearly coinciding with the demise of the carrier in April 2019. Air India, has in the past, operated to Manchester with flights operated by the A310s via Rome, to Delhi and onwards to Mumbai. Jet Airways had increased frequency to Manchester even before its first flight, eventually ending the route as the airline folded up.
What next?
The airline needs one aircraft each for Mumbai – London – Mumbai and Mumbai – Amsterdam – Mumbai. However, the arrival and departure times in Delhi for the Delhi – London flights are the same, thus needing more than one aircraft for this route, ideally two. The airline thus needs two aircraft in Delhi. This totals four planes, while the airline would have five planes post September.
This would mean that the spare planes are used as maintenance spares as well as operational ones, an expensive proposition or they see service on relatively shorter routes like Delhi – Bangkok where the 6E1053/1054 rotation could shift to the Dreamliner departing Delhi at 1545 hours and returning in Delhi at 2310. Currently this sees an aircraft swap with the Mumbai aircraft, which departs Mumbai at 1305 as 6E1059. 6E1053 operates to Mumbai as 6E1060, leaving Bangkok at 2245 hours, reaching Mumbai at 0140 hours the next day. This would ensure swap of aircraft, rotation of aircraft and better utilisation. The question then would be if the market can support that demand. Delhi – Bangkok was the first route for the Dreamliners last March.
Will the airline venture into this or look at releasing another aircraft and operate three routes with four planes? The slots at London Heathrow are too precious to lose, but they are currently leased from British Airways, after a season of being leased from Virgin Atlantic. Continuous operations help secure slots on their own and we would know the results of permanent allocation very soon. Difficult times in aviation also open up trading opportunities where airlines try to sell slots to stay afloat while airlines like IndiGo can cash in on the opportunity and make its presence permanent at Heathrow.
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