IndiGo, the largest airline in the country, has opened reservations for flights to Manchester from Mumbai. The Pakistani airspace closure seems to have made the airline change its plan and give Mumbai an unlikely headstart over Delhi for IndiGo’s widebody network of the future. The airline had announced that it intends to fly to Manchester and Amsterdam starting July and this announcement was made in the first week of March. Flights start July 01, 2025. This will be the longest flight in its network, albeit not operated by its own metal. The airline will operate with a wet/damp lease and see the Norse Atlantic 787-9 Dreamliner operate the route.
6E031 BOM0415 – 0915MAN
6E032 MAN1200 – 0135BOM
Flights to operate on Tue, Thu and Sat and begin July 01, 2025
6E021 BOM0525 – 1100AMS 3,5,7
6E022 AMS1400 – 0155BOM 1,3,5
Flights operated by two-class 787-9
This strategic expansion marks a significant milestone for the airline as it ventures into the long-haul sector, connecting India’s financial capital directly to the heart of the United Kingdom.The upcoming service will offer passengers a convenient and efficient travel option between these two vibrant cities. By introducing this route, IndiGo aims to strengthen business ties, boost tourism, and cater to the substantial Indian diaspora residing in the UK.
IndiGo’s widebody ambitions are old. In 2019, the airline had filed for flights to Manchester. I had done a detailed post about that in November 2019, which can be read here. Interestingly, the airline had filed for 1725 arrival in Manchester and 1925 departure from Manchester for the Delhi flight, indicating a mid-day departure from Delhi, in line with the Air India bank to Europe.
The India – Manchester route remains one of the top unserved routes but has had its fair share of bad luck. Jet Airways operations from Mumbai were short lived, while Virgin Atlantic operations to Delhi from Manchester could never take-off due to the pandemic. With the move to Mumbai, IndiGo now takes over the route from where Jet Airways left while Delhi – Manchester remains unconnected.
The Mumbai – Amsterdam route with its thrice a week operation has ability to connect to KLM’s network beyond Amsterdam in Europe and to North America and create a second stream for passengers, with the first being via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines – which is currently under the cloud.
The IndiGoStretch experience:
IndiGoStretch customers on this new route will enjoy an elevated in-flight dining experience with specially curated complimentary hot meals served with finest alcohol catered by award-winning iconic Indian brands, promising a journey that’s as enjoyable as the destination. IndiGo’s tailor-made business product, IndiGoStretch – offers extra legroom, comfortable seating, and increased recline, designed to elevate comfort during long-haul journeys. In addition to complimentary benefits like priority check-in, anytime boarding, advance seat selection, and zero convenience fee, Customers will also get additional baggage allowance starting from 30 kgs in check-in and one bag weighing up to 12 kgs in the cabin.
Specially Curated in-flight Dining: In its first, IndiGo is offering complimentary hot meals on-board for all customers in IndiGoStretch and Economy cabins on this route. The food and beverages(alcoholic + non-alcoholic) will be complimentary for the IndiGoStretch customers. While in economy, the meals and non-alcoholic beverages will be served on a complimentary basis, however the alcoholic beverages can be purchased on-board. The high-quality meals will be vegetarian by default, although an option to pre-book non-vegetarian meals will be available at the time of booking.
Network Thoughts
IndiGo’s choice of destinations were known, but the surprise was the shift from Delhi to Mumbai. Has the airline made the most of it while negotiating with the airport? Delhi, while the biggest airport, has a challenge with respect to terminal transfers. With Mumbai T1 being shut down in winter schedule, does the airline have a better edge in transfers at Mumbai with consolidation at a single terminal?
This being a wet/damp lease operation, the airline (Norse Atlantic) is responsible for Maintenance and there is a block of over 24 hours in Amsterdam for maintenance as well as schedule recovery if needed. While Norse Atlantic does not operate to Amsterdam, KLM (KLM-Air France) have expertise and certification to manage the dreamliner line maintenance.
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