Budget airline IndiGo has announced the cancellation of its two direct routes from Manchester to Mumbai and Delhi, less than a year after their launch. The services will cease on August 31, citing rising fuel costs and airspace restrictions as key factors.
The routes, which began last July, were IndiGo's first direct connections between Europe and India. Their removal means Manchester will no longer have direct flights to India, with other airlines such as Air India and Virgin Atlantic only operating from London.
IndiGo attributed the decision to soaring jet fuel prices, exacerbated by the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. These factors have raised concerns about potential fuel shortages in the coming months.
Abhijit Dasgupta, IndiGo's senior vice president for network planning and revenue management, described the discontinuation as temporary. He noted that the airline had introduced leased wide-body aircraft for these routes and witnessed encouraging demand, reinforcing its long-haul ambitions.
IndiGo will return its leased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Norse Atlantic later this year, with plans to use the aircraft for direct flights between Europe and Thailand this winter. IndiGo, India's largest passenger airline, operates over 2,700 daily flights to more than 140 destinations.
