Virgin Atlantic will launch a three times a week passenger service to Delhi from Manchester in October this year.
The new North of England route, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft, will see Virgin Atlantic Cargo tap into the £20bn of annual trade between the UK and India.
UK-Indian trade currently generates 100,000 tonnes of imports and exports moving by air each year – including high volumes of vegetables, fresh fruit, spices and apparel.
This expansion comes as the airline celebrates the 20th anniversary of flying to India.
Last October, Virgin Atlantic started daily Heathrow-Mumbai services and, on March 29, will introduce double daily flights to Delhi from Heathrow.
A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic Cargo said that the new Manchester-Delhi route will provide “quick and seamless” connections for customers in the US to access India’s buoyant market.
Virgin Atlantic currently operates from New York JFK, Atlanta and Orlando to Manchester and will this year relaunch seasonal services from Las Vegas in March and Los Angeles in May.
Dominic Kennedy, managing director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said: “Business opportunities between the UK and India have never been greater.
“India is now the world’s fifth largest economy and the UK is one of its biggest and fastest-growing trading partners for products such as technology and automotive components, pharmaceuticals and fresh produce as well as other general cargoes.”
He continued: “The launch of direct flights to India from Manchester this October will give exporters and importers more choice in addition to the three times daily services we will be operating ex Heathrow, offering exciting new growth opportunities for us and our customers.”
