Indian low-cost airline IndiGo has announced the debut of its first-ever long-haul flights.
The carrier will begin flights between Mumbai and Manchester in the United Kingdom on July 1 and flights between Mumbai and Amsterdam on July 2. The routes are IndiGo’s first venture into Europe and its first to meet the threshold of a long-haul service.
The Mumbai-Manchester route will operate once a day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Flights will depart Mumbai for Amsterdam once a day on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, while flights leaving Amsterdam for Mumbai will depart once a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Dutch flag carrier KLM currently operates a nonstop flight between Mumbai and Amsterdam, but IndiGo is now the only airline with a nonstop Mumbai-Manchester route.
In a statement, airline CEO Pieter Elbers said the new flights will strengthen economic and cultural ties between India and Europe, meet the needs of the growing Indian diaspora in the region, and facilitate the travel of Indian students, professionals, and tourists back and forth from their home country.
International Ambitions
IndiGo plans to fly its new European routes using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners leased from Norway-based Norse Atlantic Airways. The Boeing aircraft are a stopgap until IndiGo takes delivery of its orders of Airbus A321XLRs and A350-900s. The A321XLRs are expected to arrive later this year, while the A350-900s are scheduled for delivery starting in 2027.
The 787s have a total of 338 seats, 56 premium and 282 economy. IndiGo said it is offering complimentary hot meals for all customers on the Manchester and Amsterdam routes.
IndiGo is the largest airline in India and one of the largest in the world. Most of its destinations are in India, but the airline also serves cities in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, including Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Istanbul, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, among others. Airline officials have said the expansion to Europe is part of a broader effort to shift from short- and medium-haul operations to long-haul international flights.
IndiGo first announced the Manchester and Amsterdam flights in March but did not reveal the start dates.
