The North’s only direct service to Delhi launches
- New service between Manchester Airport and Delhi with IndiGo launched on Saturday
- It means Manchester now has daily connections to India through IndiGo’s Delhi and Mumbai services
- Business Secretary Peter Kyle backs the route to help British firms do business in India on the back of the Government’s trade deal
Manchester Airport’s new route to India’s capital city Delhi launched on Saturday 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 Delhi 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.
"These flights will create even more opportunities for British and Indian firms and comes in the wake of our landmark trade deal, ushering in more money and jobs as part of our Plan for Change.”
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.”
Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said:
“Lord Jim O’Neill, who developed the intellectual underpinning of the Northern Powerhouse, has made the case consistently for linking cities including Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Liverpool to each other and Manchester Airport. He also coined the terms ‘BRICs’ and the changing global economic order in the two and a half decades since has shown the importance of India and China in particular from that grouping to the future of the North.
“Adding Delhi to the existing direct connection already established to Mumbai is a testament to the strong potential for strengthening economic ties between the North of England and India. Building on foreign direct investment such as Sai Life Sciences at Alderley Park and the significant number of Indian students who choose to study here - one of our greatest pan-Northern export success stories, including institutions such as Manchester and Sheffield - this new direct long-haul link is of particular significance.”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said:
"This new route to Delhi will supercharge Manchester's connections with India. Our existing route to Mumbai is already hugely beneficial to the city's businesses and people - supporting trade, investment and cultural links with one of the world's biggest economies.
“The addition of Delhi, meaning that there will be daily flights to and from India from Manchester, will take that to the next level."
Delhi is India’s capital and home to its government. It is also part of the famous ‘Golden Triangle’ of Delhi, Agra – home of the Taj Mahal – and Jaipur, which is famed for its pink forts, palaces and temples.
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the financial capital of India and one of the most populous cities in the world. Located on the west coast along the Arabian Sea, Mumbai is the centre of the Hindi film industry and a thriving hub for commerce, fashion, and entertainment.
IndiGo is India’s biggest airline. Last year it served more than 118m passengers across its network of more than 90 destinations in India and 40 international destinations. It has a fleet of more than 400 aircraft.
The new service operates from Manchester Airport’s brand new, £1.3bn Terminal 2, as well as the existing Mumbai service. The terminal is the centrepiece of the airport’s decade-long transformation programme which is due to be conclude in the coming months.
Terminal 2 has already won the prestigious Prix Versailles for architecture and design, recognising it as one of the most modern and user-friendly airport terminals in Europe.