India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has entered into a wet-lease agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners as the low-cost carrier seeks to expand its fledging long-haul network.
News of the deal first came to light in November 2024 when Norse Atlantic announced to the Oslo Stock Exchange that it had reached a wet-lease deal with an unnamed ‘reputable international airline,’ although IndiGo was quickly identified as the potential customer.
Unfortunately for Norse Atlantic, the initial wet lease deal for up to six Boeing 787 Dreamliners has now been reduced to just aircraft that will be leased for six months starting in March, with the option to extend the deal for up to 18 months.
In an update to traders, Norse Atlantic said it remained locked in talks with IndiGo for the potential to wet-lease more aircraft as part of the airline’s business strategy to shift primarily to an ACMI carrier (in which it leases out the Aircraft and Crew and includes Maintenance and Insurance).
IndiGo is India’s largest airline with an extensive domestic route network, as well as a limited roster of international destinations, which are mainly served by its Airbus A320 series fleet of aircraft.
Since 2023, however, IndiGo has been leasing two Boeing 777 widebody aircraft from Turkish Airlines, which are used to serve Istanbul from Delhi and Mumbai.
Last year, IndiGo cemented its ambitions to create a long-haul network using widebody aircraft after placing a firm order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft which are set to be delivered from 2027 onwards.
Although Norse Atlantic described the deal with IndiGo as a wet-lease agreement, Reuters reports that the contract is more of a ‘damp lease’ in which IndiGo will provide its own cabin crew.
Norse Atlantic continues to operate its own low-cost transatlantic route network, but the airline hopes to get more business from leasing out its planes and crew to other carriers for charter and wet-lease contracts, especially during traditionally quieter periods.
