A new Virgin Atlantic and IndiGo codeshare between the UK and India aims to add more destinations accessible from London.
Passengers flying with Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai will be able to connect to and from seven additional cities in India.
The agreement with the Indian low cost carrier will be expanded late in the year to cover a total of 16 destinations throughout India, as well as connections onto Virgin Atlantic’s transatlantic network operated via Heathrow.
The pact will allow Virgin Atlantic to sell seats to passengers connecting onto IndiGo flights.
The initial codeshare destinations in India include Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Delhi and Mumbai.
The additional destinations will include Kochi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Vadodara, Indore and Visakhapatnam.
The codeshare flights will be available this week for booking for travel beyond September 27, subject to government approval.
Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen said: “This summer marks our largest ever flying programme from India with three daily direct services to London and our new partnership takes our commitment to even greater heights.
“IndiGo is India’s largest airline and its extensive network will offer Virgin Atlantic customers even more choice when travelling between the UK and India, as well as offering seamless connections for the onward travel across our extensive US route network.
“It’s great news for our Flying Club too, by providing more opportunities for members to earn valuable points.
“This new partnership aims to respond to the large, fast-growing demand for visiting friends and relatives, leisure as well as business travellers looking for more choice between UK and India.”
IndiGo chief executive Ronojoy Duttasaid: “We are pleased to announce our codeshare with Virgin Atlantic to provide enhanced connectivity to the passengers.
“This will not only help offer a seamless travel experience from London to as many as 16 destinations in India, but also open up international trade opportunities throughout the country via enhanced accessibility.”