New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline in terms of market share is venturing on a robust expansion spree in the new year, not just in the domestic market but in the long-haul international market to compete with Air India.

The airline is all set to start flights to UK and Netherlands with non-stop flights to Manchester and Amsterdam.  IndiGo’s service to Manchester will be the only direct route from India to the North of the UK.

These two European destinations will be the latest additions to IndiGo's rapidly expanding global network, offering customers a seamless connectivity between India and Europe. This step is a significant step in IndiGo's journey to become a global player by 2030.

Over the past two years, IndiGo has been building its presence in Europe through multiple codeshare partnerships connecting several European cities to India.

Earlier this year, IndiGo entered into a damp lease agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which was inducted into operations on March 1, 2025 and recently, the agreement was expanded to include the damp lease of three additional aircraft, scheduled to join the fleet towards the second half of this year.

Collectively, these aircraft will enable IndiGo to make an early entry into the long-haul market and establish itself in Europe while the airline awaits the delivery of its Airbus A321 XLR and A350-900 aircraft from 2027 onwards, the airline said.

Thrilled to announce IndiGo’s first-ever long-haul destinations Peter Elbers, the chief executive, IndiGo said: “India has strong ties both with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands for business and tourism; and there is a large Indian diaspora who live in these countries.

These new flights will benefit both our existing and potential customers who fly on these routes. These new IndiGo long-haul routes are steps towards inching closer to realising our shared vision to build India into a global aviation hub.”

IndiGo has planned thrice weekly flights to Manchester and Amsterdam with the flights expected to commence from July 2025. The airline has further hinted to expand these routes eyeing the demand and with the arrival of more aircraft from Norse later this year.