IndiGo to deploy leased B787 on Delhi-Bangkok flights

IndiGo has announced that it will deploy its leased Boeing B787 Dreamliners on Delhi-Bangkok flights starting in March 2025. Read on to know more about the offering and the schedule.

IndiGo B787

IndiGo is leasing a Boeing B787 Dreamliner from Norwegian low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways. While the announcement made a few days ago was for one aircraft with options to lease out more, IndiGo says that it will “continue exploring opportunities to contract additional aircraft”. The first B787-9 is expected to be delivered to IndiGo in the very near future.

Starting 1st March 2025, IndiGo will deploy a B787 on its daily service between Delhi (DEL) and Bangkok (BKK). The flights operate with the following schedule:

• Delhi-Bangkok
• Departure time: 10:00
• Arrival time: 16:10
• Flight time: 4 hours and 40 minutes
• Flight number: 6E1053

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• Bangkok-Delhi
• Departure time: 18:10
• Arrival time: 20:45
• Flight time: 4 hours and 05 minutes
• Flight number: 6E1054

Norse Atlantic B787-9s, which IndiGo is leasing, features 56 Premium Economy Seats in a 2-3-2 configuration with a 43-inch seat pitch and 282 standard Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 configuration with a 31-inch seat pitch. IndiGo is selling the Premium Economy seats as IndiGoStretch seats, the name given to its recently introduced Business Class seats.

As India’s aviation sector undergoes rapid transformation to keep pace with unprecedented growth in demand for travel, IndiGo is well-positioned to lead this expansion. The early induction of our wide body aircraft marks a significant milestone in our journey. Starting between Delhi and Bangkok, we intend to shift to Europe from mid-Summer. We are thrilled to introduce the comfort of IndiGoStretch on our regional international route, after the positive and encouraging feedback domestically. Our roots and fundamentals are Indian but increasingly, the world is where we operate. As a proud Indian brand IndiGo believes in great Indian brands supporting each other in going global. In line with our promise of India by IndiGo, we are committed to partner with the best-in-class Indian brands such as the Oberoi Catering Services, Sula and others for extending premium services to IndiGoStretch customers.

Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said.

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What to expect?

IndiGoStretch passengers will get a complimentary meal prepared by Oberoi Flight Catering Services, just like what they get on domestic flights. Additionally, on flights to Bangkok, they will also get “exclusively” designed beverages by Sula Vineyards, India’s homegrown brand. The airline says that this collaboration marks the beginning of its journey to take forth India’s diverse and innovative brands to a global audience.

In addition to this, IndiGoStretch passengers will get complimentary benefits like priority check-in, anytime boarding, advance seat selection, and zero convenience fee. They will also get additional baggage allowance starting from 30 kgs in check-in and one bag weighing up to 12 kgs in the cabin.

Why is IndiGo leasing B787s?

When it comes to wide-body aircraft, IndiGo’s strategy has been different. The airline leased B777-300ERs (Extra Range) from Turkish Airlines and deployed them on its flights to Istanbul from Delhi and Mumbai. This helped it understand the economics of operating wide-body aircraft, which are different from narrow-body aircraft which it operates.

The Indian aviation market is in a very exciting phase right now. With renewed competition from Air India, IndiGo may want to corner itself a fair share of market in the international space too. The A321XLRs (Extra Large Range) and A350s come in there. Airbus is expected to deliver IndiGo’s first A321XLR in mid-2025.

However, the airline will not want to wait until 2027 to add long-haul destinations, given the significant opportunity for expansion. The B787-9 will help the carrier to expedite its long-haul ambition. IndiGo is expected to launch flights to London, Amsterdam, Manchester or Paris with this aircraft.

Featured image by IndiGo

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