Indian budget airline IndiGo has announced Amsterdam and Manchester as its first long-haul routes.
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The carrier has not officially announced which Indian airport the two European routes will fly to, but reports suggest it will be from its main hub of Delhi.
The two routes will launch in July 2025 and operate three times per week. IndiGo will use Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft leased from European long-haul budget airline Norse Atlantic.
In a statement, IndiGo said leasing four B787 aircraft would allow it to ¡°make an early entry into the long-haul market and establish itself in Europe¡±, while it awaits the delivery of Airbus A321 XLR and A350-900 aircraft from 2027 onwards.
Pieter Elbers, IndiGo¡¯s CEO, called the announcement a ¡°very exciting chapter in IndiGo's growth journey, connecting India to the heart of Europe¡±.
¡°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,¡± added Elbers.
IndiGo has been busy establishing codeshare deals with several European carriers in recent years, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Manchester Airport¡¯s managing director Chris Woodroofe said: ¡°This new service will be the only direct route to India from the north of the UK and will be popular with the more than half a million people with Indian heritage who live within Manchester Airport¡¯s catchment area.
¡±We also know that connectivity is a key enabler of trade and productivity. By providing direct access to the world¡¯s fastest-growing major economy, this route will deliver a significant boost to the government¡¯s economic growth mission and comes on the back of positive progress towards a UK-India trade deal.¡±
IndiGo has a fleet of more than 400 aircraft serving around 90 domestic destinations in India and 35 international routes. Passenger number topped 113 million in 2024.