IndiGo starts Europe & UK flights from July 1; will finally serve hot meals onboard

NEW DELHI: Using the wet lease route to expand its international network, IndiGo will, from July 1, 2025, launch thrice weekly flights between Mumbai and Manchester. And from the next day, IndiGo will start nonstop flights between Mumbai and Amsterdam. Both these thrice weekly routes will be launched using the wet-leased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (hired with operating crew) of Norse Atlantic. With Pakistan airspace closed for overflying by Indian carriers, IndiGo has started its Europe flights from Mumbai. And not the national capital, to avoid the much longer routes they would have had to take.

“Upgrading its in-flight dining experience, complimentary hot meals and beverages will be served to all customers” on the two routes, the airline said. Meals sold on board IUndiGo flights — almost all cold except the dip-in-hot-water-for-five-minute versions — have long been the biggest chink in its otherwise formidable armour which has made this LCC biggest Indian airline with over 60% domestic market share. Now, this issue has been resolved with the Europe flights it launches from July.

IndiGo says the Amsterdam and Manchester routes are “the start of an exciting new chapter in IndiGo’s growth journey… The introduction of more B787-9 from Norse, and the arrival of IndiGo’s Airbus A321XLRs (extra long range) starting this year and A350 from 2027 will usher a new era enabling the airline to offer long-haul flights with IndiGo’s unique value proposition,” the airline says.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said: “I am thrilled to announce IndiGo’s long-haul debut... We are stretching our wings further to enhance accessibility and convenience to customers traveling to Europe for leisure, business, and education, as well as unlocking IndiGo’s unparalleled domestic network, showcasing ‘India by IndiGo’ to foreign travellers. Celebrating India and its unique cuisine, we’re very proud to announce specially curated complimentary hot meals and beverages by iconic home-grown Indian brands will be served to all our customers on this route. This will be a major milestone in our international growth journey as we move towards our vision to become a global aviation leader, propelling India’s ambition of transforming into a global aviation hub. With every new global connection, IndiGo is taking India to the world and bringing the world to India.”