Namaste Manchester: IndiGo announces its long-haul debut with nonstop flights connecting Mumbai and Manchester
Colombo Times
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.
