The airline has announced non-stop flights to Manchester and Amsterdam saying the service to Manchester will be the only direct route from India to the North of the UK.
“These two European destinations will be the latest additions to IndiGo’s rapidly expanding global network, offering customers a seamless connectivity between India and Europe,” IndiGo said in its statement.
The airline added this development signals a significant step in IndiGo’s journey to become a global player by 2030. Over the past two years, IndiGo has been building its presence in Europe through multiple codeshare partnerships connecting several European cities to India.
Earlier this year, IndiGo entered into a damp lease agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which was inducted into operations on March 1, 2025 and recently, the agreement was expanded to include the damp lease of three additional aircraft, scheduled to join the fleet towards the second half of this year. Collectively, these aircraft will enable IndiGo to make an early entry into the long-haul market and establish itself in Europe while the airline awaits the delivery of its Airbus A321 XLR and A350-900 aircraft from 2027 onwards, the airline said.
Commenting on the independent foray into European markets, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said: “We’re thrilled to announce our first-ever long-haul destinations – Manchester and Amsterdam. India has strong ties both with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands for business and tourism; and there is a large Indian diaspora who live in these countries. These new flights will benefit both our existing and potential customers who fly on these routes. These new IndiGo long-haul routes are steps towards inching closer to realising our shared vision to build India into a global aviation hub.”
The flights to Manchester (3x weekly) and Amsterdam (3x weekly) are expected to commence in July 2025, subject to completion of all operational preparedness and regulatory approvals.
With the arrival of additional aircraft from Norse later this year the frequencies could further grow, and in parallel, IndiGo is evaluating multiple other important markets across Europe to further expand its long-haul footprint, IndiGo said.
First Published: Mar 6, 2025 6:28 PM IST
