West Asia conflict: IndiGo runs into rough weather over its wet-lease arrangement

IndiGo, which had suspended all flights to Europe since Gulf conflict began, has run into rough weather over wet leased aircraft used to fly to the western continent that forms a big part of its international expansion strategy.

An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Manchester, its first since February 26, was forced to return to Delhi after flying over the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea over permit issues. Reports say there was confusion over the permit for the wide-body aircraft, wet leased from the Norwegian carrier Norse Atlantic Airways, and it was denied permission.    

The country’s largest airline by market share has wet-leased six B787 aircraft from the Norwegian airline to expand it European footprint. Launched in 2025, the airline provides direct connectivity to London, Manchester and Amsterdam.

According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, IndiGo’s Mumbai-London flight flew south of Yemen into Africa and over Red Sea enroute to Europe, increasing flying time by 2-2.5 hours. This was because Norse Atlantic falls under the jurisdiction of the European Aviation Safety Agency, which has urged airlines to avoid the airspace over Gulf region, prompting cancellations. Air India has been taking that route to fly to Europe and North America.

Domestic airlines have been rerouting flights since the closure of Pakistan airspace last year and must take a longer route to fly to Europe. The closure of airspace on the west is already adding to the cost of airlines with sky rocketing war premium by insurers due to increased risk cover against missile strikes.

It has also led to a jump in airfare and even higher aviation fuel prices with oil tankers stuck due to the closure of Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked Iran.