IndiGo pushes long-haul expansion with flights to Mumbai and Amsterdam
Indian airline IndiGo has announced its long-haul debut with flights connecting Mumbai with Manchester in the UK and Amsterdam in the Netherlands will launch in July.
IndiGo’s flights between Mumbai…
May 22, 2025
Indian airline IndiGo has announced its long-haul debut with flights connecting Mumbai with Manchester in the UK and Amsterdam in the Netherlands will launch in July.
IndiGo’s flights between Mumbai and Manchester will be operated three times a week, as will its flights to Amsterdam. The airline is the only carrier offering direct connectivity between India and the northern UK.
The route will be served by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners featuring 56 IndiGo stretch seats in business and 282 seats in economy. IndiGo recently signed agreements with Norse Atlantic Airways to damp lease six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, one of which is already operating on its Delhi-Bangkok route. These leased aircraft will support the airline’s expansion into Europe while it awaits delivery of its A321XLRs starting later this year and A350-900 aircraft from 2027 onwards.
“IndiGo’s long-haul foray marks a pivotal moment in our global expansion journey,” stated Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo. “It also underscores our commitment to becoming an airline of truly global scale and stature and contributing towards transforming India into a global aviation hub.”
He also said the service to Manchester will “foster stronger economic, education and cultural ties” between India and the UK. “Beyond supporting the growing Indian diaspora in the region, these direct flights are expected to boost two-way tourism, and unlock avenues for bilateral trade and collaboration.”
He also highlighted that the flights to Amsterdam will “deepen the growing ties between the two nations” as the airline works closely with Schiphol Airport to provide customers with its “quintessential seamless and hassle-free experience.”
Meanwhile, Manchester Airport’s Managing Director, Chris Woodroofe, reiterated that the new route from Mumbai makes Manchester the only Northern airport with a direct connection to India and cements our position as one of Europe’s best-connected airports.”
In line with its plans to expand its global network, which currently spans over 130 domestic and international destinations, earlier this month the airline launched flights to Abu Dhabi from Madurai, Bhubaneshwar and Visakhapatnam and to Fujairah from Mumbai.
On the airline’s latest earnings call on 21 May, Elbers said the opportunity for IndiGo to expand into Europe is “massive”. He also noted that despite improving their share of international traffic compared to overseas airlines, Indian airlines still only carry around a third of the overall traffic on direct flights between Europe and India.
The airline reported a net profit of INR30.7 billion for the three months through March 31, its fiscal fourth quarter, while capacity was up by 21% year on year.
