IndiGo Launches Flights to Manchester, Amsterdam

Post by : Layla Badr

Photo: Reuters

IndiGo, the biggest airline in India, has started selling tickets for flights to two new cities—Manchester in the UK and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. This is a big move for the airline, showing how it has changed since the pandemic. Earlier, IndiGo was known for being a low-cost airline, but now it’s offering better services and flying to far-off international places.

The airline is planning to grow fast, especially in the international market. It has already placed an order for bigger planes and is now using wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. These planes have been leased from another airline called Norse Atlantic. IndiGo is clearly preparing to compete with Air India, which has been the top airline for international routes from India for many years.

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Flying Through Istanbul with Turkish Airlines
Until now, IndiGo has been selling tickets to Manchester and Amsterdam by connecting flights through Istanbul. These flights were in partnership with Turkish Airlines. But now, IndiGo is taking a step ahead by flying directly to these cities using its own planes.

Manchester is one of the most popular routes from India that doesn’t have a direct flight, which means many people want to go there but no Indian airline was flying directly until now. Amsterdam already has flights from Air India and KLM, which fly from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. So there is competition, but IndiGo believes it can attract more passengers.

Switch from Delhi to Mumbai
IndiGo first announced that the flights to Manchester and Amsterdam would start from Delhi. However, due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, which made flights longer and more difficult, the airline decided to shift the starting point to Mumbai instead. This unexpected change has actually been a good thing for Mumbai Airport, which now gets more international flights.

New Service with Hot Meals and Drinks
One of the biggest changes IndiGo is making with these new flights is the kind of service it offers. For the first time, IndiGo will give free hot meals and drinks to all passengers. This is a big deal because IndiGo usually does not serve hot meals, even to passengers who pay for more legroom or better seats (called IndiGoStretch).

Now that IndiGo is using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which comes with ovens, it can serve fresh, hot food. These planes have 56 Premium Economy seats and 282 regular Economy seats. Passengers in Premium Economy (IndiGoStretch) will also get free alcohol along with their meals. Economy passengers will get meals and soft drinks for free, but will have to pay for alcohol if they want it.

Partnerships and Future Plans
IndiGo already works with many big international airlines like Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM, American Airlines, Qantas, and Virgin Atlantic. These airlines use their big global hubs to help passengers from India travel across the world. IndiGo’s new flights might open the door for even more teamwork with these airlines.

For a long time, IndiGo has been planning to fly to London. It had hoped to use the Airbus A321XLR for this, but the aircraft couldn’t fly that far. Now, with bigger planes like the Dreamliner, IndiGo may try to reach cities like Paris and London. The challenge will be getting time slots to land at busy airports like Heathrow in London or Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Maybe with help from partner airlines, IndiGo could get those slots at a fair price.

Why India is Important for Global Airlines
India has a huge number of people who travel, so it’s an important country for all international airlines. If IndiGo can carry 200 to 300 passengers a day to these big international hubs, that’s a big help to partner airlines. In return, they might offer IndiGo better landing slots or other benefits.

The Bigger Picture
IndiGo has a strong financial background and can afford to take risks. It can try new routes and stick with them longer than many other airlines. On the other hand, Air India, which was sold to the Tata Group a few years ago, is still struggling to expand its long-distance flights.

Air India has many older planes and is waiting for new ones like the Airbus A350 to arrive, which may not happen until 2027 or 2028. That gives IndiGo time to grow and take the lead on international routes.

While Air India is using its budget airline, Air India Express, to fight with IndiGo in India’s local market, IndiGo is now doing the same on the international front by going head-to-head with Air India abroad. This may also give IndiGo a better position when it comes to getting more space and flight slots at busy airports like Mumbai.

Conclusion
IndiGo’s move to start flights to Manchester and Amsterdam is a big step forward. With better planes, upgraded services, and strong partnerships, the airline is aiming to become a major player on international routes. The battle between Air India and IndiGo is now not just limited to India—it has gone global.

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