UK-based Virgin Atlantic on Thursday announced that it will be launching flight service between New Delhi and Mumbai to Manchester.
Flight from Mumbai to Manchester will be operated three times a week starting December 2020 while the flight from Delhi will be operated twice a week beginning from January 2021.
These new services will go on sale on 20 October and will complement the airline’s existing services from Mumbai and Delhi to London’s Heathrow Airport.
Here are the detailed schedule and fare details of Virgin Atlantic flights between India and Manchester:
Mumbai to Manchester
- Frequency: Three times a week — Tue, Thu, Sun — Starting from 20th December 2020.
- Aircraft Type: Boeing 787-9 – 31 Upper Class. 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light
- Fare: Return Economy fares start from ₹49,885 per person, Premium from ₹79,500, and Upper Class from ₹207,270
Delhi to Manchester
- Frequency: Twice a week (Wed, Sat) starting from 6th January 2021
- Aircraft Type: Boeing 787-9 – 31 Upper Class. 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light
- Fare: Return Economy fares start from ₹52,369 per person, Premium from ₹91,000, and Upper Class from ₹216,150
With more than 16 million Indians living outside of the country and 500,000 living across the north of England, India has the world’s largest diaspora.
These new services will open up over 130,000 seats between India and Manchester and aim to respond to the massive, fast-growing demand to go to friends and relatives as well as capturing demand for business and leisure visitors to the region as global economies gradually get over the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The airline also said that it’ll offer a quick, efficient cargo service presenting new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods like fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, and textiles between prime markets in the UK, US, and India.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic commented: “We’re delighted to launch new flying from our home in the north in Manchester. India boasts the most important foreign-born population in the UK and we’re anticipating that post-Covid-19, the demand to travel home to visit loved ones will increase.”
“Following the relaunch of services from Heathrow to Mumbai and Delhi in September 2020, these new services from Manchester represent our continued investment in India. Both Mumbai and Delhi are popular year-round destinations, and that we look forward to welcoming travelers from the North and Midlands on board as demand for leisure and business travel gradually increases to the region.’’
Alex McEwan, Country Manager – India at Virgin Atlantic said: ‘‘We are excited to welcome passengers on board Virgin Atlantic services from Delhi and Mumbai to Manchester for the very first time. Manchester is our home in the North of England and is positioned as an incredible hub for onward travel. We are the sole airline operating these routes to Manchester direct and passengers can enjoy a similar fantastic customer service that we’ve offered from India to Heathrow for the past 20 years. we’ll operate one of our newest and most fuel-efficient aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner.’’
Virgin Atlantic looks forward to resuming its Manchester to Barbados service on 26 October, followed by its first flight from Manchester to Islamabad launching on 10 December. Flights from London Heathrow to Islamabad and Lahore will launch on 12, 13 December.
Follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google News for the latest travel news and updates!
Also Read: COVID-19: France Imposes 4 Weeks Curfew In 9 Cities, Including Paris