Only direct flights to Delhi from the North of England launch

Manchester Airport’s new route to India’s capital city Delhi launched on Saturday 15th November, meaning the North now has nine weekly connections to the country.

The new route to Delhi is operated by IndiGo, India’s largest airline, and will run five times per week. It is on top of IndiGo’s four weekly services to the country’s financial hub Mumbai.

The first flight for the new service departed from Manchester Airport’s brand-new, £1.3bn Terminal 2 at on Saturday.

The connection will augment the financial benefits already being felt following the launch of IndiGo’s Mumbai service in June and has been heralded by Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle.

IndiGo is India’s biggest airline. The route between Manchester and Mumbai was its first European route when it launched earlier this year.

Research from economic consultancy Metro Dynamics forecasts the two routes will deliver a major economic boost, including:

• Increased exports worth more than £33.5m a year
• More than £26m a year of extra tourism income from Indian visitors
• around 500 new jobs – supporting £24.2m of extra GVA to the North
• more than £26m of productivity savings for businesses across the North each year
• significant increases in innovation and research collaboration between the North and India

Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle said:

“The choice of Manchester for India’s flagship airline’s first European destination is proof of the growing strength of the UK-India relationship.“

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:

“Here at Manchester Airport we are proud to connect the North to the World and this new connection to Delhi means the people of the region can now enjoy the benefits of nine flights per week to India.

“It will drive millions of pounds into the regional economy, improve tourism links between our two countries and benefit the Indian communities in the North.

“I was incredibly proud to be able to celebrate the inaugural flight and am looking forward to hearing about the benefits this service brings.”

Jo Ahmed, co-chair of the Manchester India Partnership, an alliance of public and private sector organisations that has forged closer social and economic ties over the past eight years, said:  

“Having direct flights into India’s two most important cities will deliver a significant boost to the region’s economy, building on the many trade, investment, academic and cultural connections that already exist. 

“The fact IndiGo chose Manchester in the first place was due recognition of the many years of hard work that have gone into forging close ties between the two locations. With a new UK-India trade deal in place – and connectivity like this – I am looking forward to the next chapter of Manchester-India relations delivering an even stronger set of opportunities for collaboration benefitting both people and place.”

Vishakha Yaduvanshi, Consul General of India in Manchester, said:

“The launch of IndiGo’s new direct flight service between Delhi and Manchester marks another milestone in the deepening partnership between India and the North of England, since the establishment of the Consulate General of India and the launch of a direct flight between Manchester and Mumbai.

“I commend Manchester Airport and IndiGo for their tireless efforts to meet the growing demand to extend the connectivity to India’s capital, Delhi. This new edition is timely and immensely significant for businesses, students, tourism and cultural linkages between our two countries.”