Manchester Airport announces direct Delhi flights

The flights will be operated by Indian airline Indigo

New direct flights from Manchester Airport and Delhi are scheduled to start from next month.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the new long-haul service in India on Wednesday, as part of a trade mission involving more than 100 delegates in a bid to boost trade and cultural ties.

The service will be run by Indian airline IndiGo from Manchester Airport's Terminal Two four times a week, with the first flight set to depart on 15 November.

Jo Ahmed, co-chair of the Manchester India Partnership, said flights to the Indian capital would improve connectivity between the countries following the announcement of a new UK-India trade deal earlier this year.

Flights between Manchester Airport and Mumbai were launched earlier this year, meaning Manchester will soon have nine direct flights to India per week.

The connection will see Manchester become the only airport outside London to offer direct flights to India.

More than 140,000 people in the Indian diaspora live in the north west of England according to the latest census data.

The airport's managing director Chris Woodroofe, who is on the UK trade mission in India, said the new flights would "drive tens of millions of pounds in economic value every year".

The link could bring an economic boost of about £33.5m in increased exports and £36m in tourism, alongside 500 new jobs, according to economic consultancy Metro Dynamics.