Virgin Atlantic has announced it is to fly direct from Manchester to India for the first time with a new service to Delhi.聽
The airline announced the new service to the Indian capital, flying three times a week, will begin in October.
Outward flights to Dehli will leave Manchester on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, departing at 4:40pm and landing the next morning at 6:05am, while the return service will depart on a Tuesday, Friday or Sunday, leaving at 8:10am and landing at 12:10pm.
At the moment, Virgin Atlantic operates direct flights to India from London Heathrow Airport through its double daily service to Delhi and daily service to Mumbai.聽
The new flights mean it will now offer more than 600,000 seats per year between the 海角视频 and India.
The airline also announced new flights from Manchester to Barbados will operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, which will add an additional 13 per cent capacity compared to Winter 2019, the airline said.
Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: 鈥2020 is an extremely exciting year of continued growth for Virgin Atlantic and increasing our presence out of Manchester is a huge focus for us.
鈥淣ot only are we the headline sponsor of the Manchester Pride Festival but we鈥檙e delighted to announce a new service flying three times a week from Manchester to Delhi, additional capacity into Barbados from Manchester as well as a Clubhouse opening this summer.
鈥淭his year will also see Flybe transform into Virgin Connect, and we鈥檙e excited to offer customers flying from the north 47 daily flights throughout the 海角视频, Ireland and across Europe.鈥
Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport and chair of the Manchester India Partnership, said the new service 鈥渨ill deliver a major boost to businesses looking to export to one of the world鈥檚 fastest-growing economies, as well as helping to attract Indian visitors and investors to the north鈥.
He said: 鈥淥ur Aviation team has worked closely with the airline to create a compelling case for why our city 鈥 and the wider north 鈥 is a great place to visit, invest in and do business with.
鈥淰irgin Atlantic is a key partner for Manchester Airport and this new route to Delhi is in addition to continued growth in recent years for the airline here at the 海角视频鈥檚 third biggest airport.
鈥淒irect connectivity to the world鈥檚 most important markets is key to creating a prosperous and internationally competitive Northern economy, and a balanced and outward facing 海角视频.鈥
The airline said it will also increase flying between Manchester and Cape Town and Havana, as it announced a new direct service will operate from London Heathrow to the two destinations.
