India’s skies are about to get crowded. Airlines from around the world are adding more flights to India. They want to make up for fewer travelers between the US and Europe. That drop is happening because of economic problems.
At a big airline meeting in New Delhi, both foreign and Indian airlines announced their plans. Delta Air Lines said it will start non-stop flights from Atlanta to New Delhi. It also shared a partnership with IndiGo. This team-up includes Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic too.
Now that Air India is privately owned, it’s also planning more global flights. The same goes for IndiGo, India’s largest airline. Air India ordered 570 planes from Airbus and Boeing. IndiGo has orders for over 900 Airbus planes, including 60 widebody A350s.
India air travel market already ranks third in the world for domestic flying. And with more people joining the middle class, India’s 1.4 billion people make it key for aviation growth. That’s very different from the slower demand in other places. For example, in the US, people are cutting back on travel due to tariff worries under President Trump.
“There’s no market more exciting than India right now,” said Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic’s CEO. He said the Indian market will be tough but full of chances over the next 30 years.
Still, some experts are worried. They say airlines might slash prices too much just to fill seats. That could lead to too many flights and lower profits for everyone.
But British Airways CEO Sean Doyle disagrees. He thinks the market will balance out. His airline flies 56 times a week to India. He said India has many people flying to the US and the UK. Even if too many flights are added at first, demand will catch up later.
IndiGo is doing well with all these changes. It’s working with many global airlines.
At a recent event in New Delhi, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France-KLM announced they’re strengthening their partnership with IndiGo. IndiGo also works with Qantas, British Airways, and Japan Airlines.
When asked if IndiGo will work only with these partners, CEO Pieter Elbers joked, “We’ve passed dating, but we’re not married yet.”
But there’s one big challenge. India’s aviation rules are very strict. Foreign airlines can’t just fly as many routes as they want. India has agreements with each country that limit how many seats are allowed both ways.
Emirates says this could hold India back. It wants to fly more into India but isn’t allowed.
“Hopefully the rules will change,” said Emirates President Tim Clark. “India needs to see how travel can help its economy. If they don’t act, they’ll hurt their own growth. But the decision is theirs.”
