IndiGo suspends Manchester flights, cites unfavourable costs and operational challenges

IndiGo on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of flights to and from Manchester, UK, effective August 31, 2026, citing “unfavorable cost and operational environment”.

Despite suspending services to Manchester, India’s largest airline said in an exchange filing that it would continue to operate all its other long-haul international flights as planned.

Following this decision, the airline also plans to return one of the six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft purchased on wet or wet lease to Norse Atlantic Airways, according to the airline’s official statement.

“Due to ongoing international airspace restrictions leading to significant increase in flight duration and challenging cost environment, IndiGo will be forced to temporarily cease flight operations to and from Manchester effective August 31, 2026. Following this decision, the airline plans to return one of the six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft acquired on wet/wet lease to Norse Atlantic Airways. IndiGo will continue to operate all remaining long-haul flights as planned.” airline.

Why is IndiGo suspending flights to Manchester?

According to the statement, IndiGo had leased six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from Norse Atlantic Airways in early 2025 as part of its strategy to gain a foothold in the European market before starting service with its own Airbus A350 aircraft. The aim of the move was to strengthen the airline’s long-haul international presence and increase brand awareness in key European destinations.

But the airline said it had since experienced a significant impact from industry-wide challenges. These include geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs, severe airspace restrictions and currency volatility. Together, these factors increased operating costs well above original estimates.

Commenting on the situation, Abhijit Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management, IndiGo, said: “We have put these wide-body aircraft into service on a short-term basis to fast-track our connectivity to high-potential long-haul destinations such as Manchester and have witnessed a very encouraging demand response. It is therefore unfortunate that longer flight times due to airspace restrictions coupled with dramatically increased costs have forced us to take the decision to temporarily suspend our flights. India – Manchester services.”

“We would like to thank our customers in India and the UK, our trading partners and Manchester Airport for their fantastic support. The response and support for these services has strengthened our belief in the opportunity for IndiGo’s long-haul destinations and this disruption is temporary. We look forward to serving this route again as soon as possible and are exploring innovative solutions to continue our collaboration with Norse Atlantic Airways,” the statement said.