IndiGo has announced its first-ever long-haul 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 in-flight 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.
The service will operate three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with flight 6E 0031 departing Mumbai at 04:15 and arriving in Manchester at 09:15. The return flight, 6E 0032, will depart Manchester at 12:00 and land in Mumbai the following day at 01:35.
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.”
Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director, Manchester Airport, 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 capitalize 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.”
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 in a new era, enabling the airline to offer long-haul flights with IndiGo’s unique value proposition.
Aircraft configuration
To give wings to its long-haul dreams, IndiGo recently signed agreements with Norse Atlantic Airways to damp-lease six Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The first Norse-operated flight for IndiGo took off in March 2025 on the Mumbai-Bangkok route. With the three additional aircraft, IndiGo is planning to lay a strong foundation for intercontinental growth, while the airline awaits the delivery of its A321XLR from this year and A350-900 aircraft from 2027 onwards. The wide-body aircraft boasts a spacious double-aisle design, featuring 56 IndiGoStretch seats in a comfortable 2x3x2 configuration, with an impressive 43-inch seat pitch. The economy class offers 282 seats in a 3x3x3 configuration, providing a generous 31-inch seat pitch for a relaxed travel experience.
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 the finest alcohol catered by award-winning iconic Indian brands, promising a journey 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, advanced seat selection, and zero convenience fee, customers will also get additional baggage allowance starting from 30 kg in check-in and one bag weighing up to 12 kg in the cabin.
In-flight Dining
In its first, IndiGo is offering complimentary hot meals onboard for all customers in IndiGoStretch and Economy cabins on this route. The food and beverages (alcoholic and 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, alcoholic beverages can be purchased onboard. 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.
