Norse Atlantic expands Thailand winter programme with capacity freed by returned IndiGo Dreamliners
Norse Atlantic Airways is expanding its winter Thailand programme from the UK and Scandinavia, with additional capacity made possible by the return of Boeing 787-9 aircraft previously damp-leased to IndiGo.
The low-cost long-haul carrier said strong demand for Thailand had prompted it to increase frequencies from London Gatwick, Manchester, Oslo and Stockholm for the 2026-27 winter season.
Chief executive Eivind Roald said the airline was seeing continued appetite for direct leisure travel to Southeast Asia.
“Thailand has become one of our strongest-performing leisure markets and we are pleased to offer customers even more choice this winter,” he said.
More flights from London, Manchester and Scandinavia
Under the expanded schedule, Norse will operate:
- New three times weekly flights between London Gatwick and Phuket (HKT) in addition to services to Bangkok.
- Increase to four weekly flights between Manchester and Bangkok.
- Up to five weekly flights between Oslo and Bangkok.
- Up to two weekly flights between Oslo and Phuket,
- Up to five weekly flights between Stockholm and Bangkok.
- Increase to two weekly flights between Stockholm and Phuket.
The airline said the programme was designed to meet growing demand from travellers seeking direct flights to Thailand from Northern Europe.
Returned IndiGo Dreamliner provides extra capacity
The expansion follows IndiGo’s announcement that it would return one of the six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners it had been operating under a damp-lease agreement with Norse Atlantic. The aircraft is scheduled to be redelivered on 31 August 2026 following changes to IndiGo’s network, including the closure of its Manchester routes.
Norse said at the time that the aircraft would be redeployed on its profitable Thailand services, allowing the airline to add capacity during the peak winter season.
“With the additional aircraft, we look forward to deploying extra capacity on our successful and profitable Thailand routes,” Roald said in the announcement. “We also continue to strengthen our strong partnership with IndiGo and have jointly initiated a strategic collaboration project to assess new and deeper cooperation.”
The lease partnership began in 2025 as the Indian carrier sought widebody capacity ahead of the arrival of its Airbus A350 fleet. The collaboration initially started with one aircraft in March 2025 and eventually expanded to six Dreamliners, with Norse providing pilots and maintenance while IndiGo supplied cabin crews.
IndiGo will continue operating five Boeing 787-9s leased from Norse Atlantic.
Thailand becomes a key market for Norse amid turnaround plan
Thailand has emerged as one of Norse Atlantic’s most successful long-haul leisure destinations.
The airline launched a major expansion in Thailand during the 2025-26 winter season, adding services from London, Manchester, Oslo and Stockholm to Bangkok and Phuket.
The winter 2026-27 program expansion follows Norse’s recent improvements in operational performance.
“Over the past months, we have taken important steps to strengthen the company, improve efficiency and sharpen our commercial focus,” said Roald.
“We would like to thank our customers for choosing Norse Atlantic and for the confidence they continue to place in our product. We are equally grateful to our airport partners in Manchester, London Gatwick, Oslo and Stockholm Arlanda, whose collaboration and support continue to play an important role in our growth journey.”
Norse continues to balance its own scheduled operations with ACMI and damp-lease activities to maximise asset utilisation and secure its financial performance.
Featured Image: Norse Atlantic Airways
