IndiGo discontinues all Manchester Airport flights

This is due to continuing international airspace constraints leading to significantly increased flight duration and a challenging cost environment, the airline said.

IndiGo will cut its flight operations to and from Manchester from August 31, 2026.

It said it will continue to operate all its remaining long-haul flights as planned.

IndiGo also plans to return one of the six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, taken on damp lease in 2025, to Norse Atlantic Airways.

IndiGo had damp leased six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from Norse Atlantic Airways in early 2025, and the objective was to make strategic inroads to establish the IndiGo brand in the European market, ahead of the commencement of services using its own Airbus A350 aircraft.

However, the airline has since experienced a significant impact of industry‑wide challenges, including geopolitical developments in the Middle East, rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs, severe airspace constraints, and foreign exchange volatility, resulting in operating costs being considerably higher than originally thought.

Abhijit Dasgupta, senior vice president – network planning & revenue management at IndiGo, said: “We inducted these wide-body aircraft on a short-term basis to fast-track our connectivity to high-potential long-haul destinations such as Manchester, and witnessed very encouraging demand response.

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“It is, therefore, unfortunate that longer flying times due to airspace constraints coupled with dramatically escalating costs compelled us to take the decision to temporarily discontinue our India – Manchester services.

“We would like to thank our customers, trade partners in India and in the UK, and Manchester Airport for their amazing support.

“The response and support for these services have reinforced our belief in the opportunity for IndiGo’s long-haul ambitions, and this discontinuation is temporary in nature.

“We look forward to serving this route again at the earliest viable opportunity and are exploring innovative solutions to continuing our collaboration with Norse Atlantic Airways.”

It is not yet confirmed when the Manchester flights will resume.

What to do if you have IndiGo flights booked

If you had trips booked with IndiGo to or from Manchester Airport, the airline has reassured passengers that anyone affected will be assisted with all possible options, including alternate travel arrangements or refunds where applicable.

Ryanair cuts flights to Manchester Airport

The news comes as Ryanair also announced it would cut flights to Manchester Airport.

Ryanair has cut flights to 19 airports across the UK and Europe recently due to rising costs, including Manchester and London Stansted.

The likes of Porto, Milan Bergamo, Berlin Brandenburg, Krakow, and Budapest are among the European airports affected by the cuts.

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