IndiGo, Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic announced a partnership yesterday connecting the U.S. and Europe with IndiGo’s fast-growing market. This partnership will allow IndiGo to strategically plan and operate long-haul flights, while giving the three SkyTeam airlines more opportunities to expand internationally.
For passengers, this partnership can be appealing in terms of convenience. The U.S. and India are some of the furthest points away on the planet, and having seamless connections and reliable operations is important the longer the journey is. Delta stated that this partnership will “…offer travelers broader access, smoother journeys, and a more consistent experience across continents.” This should also help IndiGo better capture demand from each of the two regions.
Moving forward, IndiGo will sell ongoing flights from Europe on partner airlines under its own marketing code, pending regulatory procedures. Some of the flights bookable include KLM flights from Amsterdam, Delta and KLM flights from Amsterdam to the U.S. and Canada, and Virgin Atlantic flights from Manchester to the U.S.
Delta’s Return to India
More interestingly, Delta publicly expressed its desire and intentions to return to Delhi, following the announcement of this partnership.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that “Combining our strengths with those of IndiGo, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic, will enable us to offer unparalleled connectivity and convenience, ensuring that our customers enjoy the highest standards of service and reliability across the globe. We look forward to restarting Delta’s direct service from the U.S. to India in the near future.”
The airline noted that they would fly to Delhi from Atlanta, subject to government approval. They did not announce a start date.
An Atlanta to Delhi route would be just shy of 8,000 miles, making it one of Delta’s longest routes. Their current Airbus A350-900 fleet could make the trip, but the unannounced date makes me think that they’re waiting on the A350-1000 deliveries. Once Delta gets a firmer delivery date from Airbus, we might hear more about this Delhi route.
Concluding Thoughts
Delta should have good demand from connecting passengers when this Atlanta route happens, and the economics of its new A350-1000 deliveries should make it all the more viable. I don’t see this route coming into action soon, but it’s something to keep an eye on. For now, passengers can reel in the benefits of this IndiGo partnership, whether traveling through the U.S. or Europe.
Featured image by Delta Air Lines.
