Joint venture partners Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, together with fast-growing Indian airline IndiGo, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an “industry-leading partnership” between North America, Europe and India.
Announced at IATA’s 81st annual AGM, taking place in New Delhi this week, the agreement is designed to meet “rising demand for international travel while setting new standards for connectivity and cooperation in global aviation”.
The partnership was announced ahead of IndiGo’s first European routes taking off this summer, with services from Mumbai to Manchester, UK, commencing on 1 July and flights from Mumbai to Amsterdam starting on July 2.
Both Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic have partnered with Indigo since 2022, providing the airlines’ customers with access to more than 30 destinations in India served by IndiGo. Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, intends to restart direct services from the US to India “in the near future” with services between Atlanta and Delhi awaiting government approval.
IndiGo CE Pieter Elbers said the partnership expands on its existing relationships with the European airlines, but also “marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter as we welcome Delta Airlines as a valued partner.”
He continued: “We are particularly excited to start our long-haul expansion from this summer and connect with our partners’ networks to provide greater access to Europe and North America.”
Elbers added: “That IATA [the AGM] is taking place here is testament to the strength of the Indian market. We started as a domestic airline but we’re making strides internationally and are on our way to becoming a global giant.”
The partnership could also pave the way for “deeper collaboration” between the carriers on a bilateral and multilateral basis and commercial collaboration on networks, loyalty, cargo and sales.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic flights between the UK and India, with the airline now operating five daily services to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, while KLM will enhance its schedule this September with the launch of services between Amsterdam and Hyderabad.
Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said: “We’re the fifth largest carrier from Europe into India. We’ve been operating with IndiGo for a number of years and we can see the potential. If you look at the population and at the economy, there is a huge opportunity for growth here.”