IndiGo’s long-haul debut: Thrice weekly flights to Manchester, Amsterdam from Mumbai from early July as part of airline’s internationalisation strategy

IndiGo, aviation, indian expressIndiGo’s move to have a wide-body fleet of its own marked a significant departure from the classic and proven budget airline model that focusses on single-type narrow-body fleet and domestic and short-haul international routes.

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IndiGo will start operating flights to Manchester and Amsterdam from Mumbai from early July, marking the long-haul debut for India’s largest airline that has been making concerted efforts to rapidly expand its international network and go beyond short-haul international routes. While Manchester and Amsterdam are the initial long-haul routes for IndiGo, the airline is understood to be evaluating multiple other key long-haul markets in Europe and beyond to expand its international footprint.

The carrier's Mumbai-Manchester service will start on July 1, and the Mumbai-Amsterdam service will begin on July 2. Both will be thrice weekly services and will be operated with the wide-body Boeing 787-9 aircraft that the carrier has taken on damp lease from Norse Atlantic Airways. IndiGo has opened bookings for these services with one-way fares starting at Rs 24,499 for Manchester and Rs 26,999 for Amsterdam.