- IndiGo is the only airline to offer direct connectivity between Mumbai and Manchester
- Complimentary hot meals on-board for all customers on this route
National, 21 May, 2025: IndiGo, India’s preferred airline, today, announced its first-ever longhaul route connecting Mumbai (India) with Manchester (United Kingdom), becoming the only
airline to offer nonstop service between these two cities, starting 01 July 2025. Upgrading its inflight dining experience, IndiGo also announced that complimentary hot meals and beverages
will be served to all customers on this route. The airline will use its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
aircraft to operate thrice weekly flights on the route. This will make IndiGo the only airline
offering direct connectivity between India and the Northern UK. The flights are open for
bookings across channels, including IndiGo’s official website www.goIndiGo.in, mobile app,
and authorized travel partners.
Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo, said, “IndiGo’s long-haul foray marks a pivotal
moment in our global expansion journey. We are very proud as well as excited to open the sale of
our first long-haul service connecting Mumbai with Manchester, a very special route in many
ways. Celebrating India and its unique cuisine, we’re thrilled to announce that specially crafted
complimentary hot meals and beverages, by iconic home-grown Indian brands, will be served to
all our customers on this route. The new route will provide seamless connection to a vast
majority of 90+ Indian destinations on IndiGo’s domestic network benefiting customers travelling
from Manchester to Mumbai. This service by IndiGo will thereby further enhance connectivity
between India and the UK, fostering stronger economic, educational, and cultural ties. Beyond
supporting the growing Indian diaspora in the region, these direct flights are expected to boost
two-way tourism, ease travel for students, professionals and leisure travellers, and unlock new
avenues for bilateral trade and collaboration between the two countries. We look forward to a
strong and synergistic partnership with Manchester airport, to be able to serve our customers
well. This significant step underscores our commitment to becoming an airline of truly global
scale and stature and contributing towards transforming India into a global aviation hub.”
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said, “Here at Manchester Airport we
are proud to connect the North to the world – that is why we are delighted to be announcing this
new direct service to Mumbai, and to welcome IndiGo to the UK. This route makes us the only
Northern airport with a direct connection to India and cements our position as one of Europe’s
best-connected airports. It will link the region to the world’s fastest growing economy, opening up
even stronger trade and investment opportunities. It will connect half a million people with Indian
heritage who live in Manchester Airport’s catchment area to family and friends, and it will
capitalise on the wide-ranging cultural and economic ties that exist. It also comes at a really
exciting time for relations between India and the North of England – with a new consulate having
opened in Manchester this year and a number of key cultural, sporting, social and economic
partnerships being agreed in recent months. And on top of that we have this summer’s England vs India Test series to look forward to. It’s great to see tickets for this exciting route going on sale - and I’m really looking forward to welcoming the first passengers in the summer.”
- The airline has made consecutive announcements of its debut long-haul routes from Mumbai,
- with Manchester and Amsterdam being added to its growing international network.
- This is the start of a truly exciting new chapter in IndiGo’s growth journey with Amsterdam and
- Manchester being the initial long-haul destinations. With the introduction of more 787-9 from
- Norse, and the arrival of IndiGo’s A321XLRs starting this year and A350 from 2027 will usher a new
- era enabling the airline to offer long-haul flights with IndiGo’s unique value proposition.
July 16, 2025
