Air India expands UK network: Boosts Delhi-London flights, restores Amritsar- service

Air India on Thursday announced a major expansion of its United Kingdom network under the Northern Winter 2025 schedule, increasing its Delhi-London (Heathrow) frequency from 24 to 28 flights a week and restoring its Amritsar-London (Gatwick) service with three flights weekly, effective October 26. The expansion strengthens the airline's footprint across five Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Amritsar — and three UK destinations — London Heathrow, London Gatwick, and Birmingham.

The announcement comes as both Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer reaffirm their commitment to deepening India-UK aviation ties, noting that discussions are underway to renew the India-UK Air Services Agreement. A joint statement issued on Thursday states that the development “creates an opportunity for closer cooperation across the aerospace sector”.

According to airline officials, the additional daily flight boosts Air India’s capacity on the high-demand Delhi-London route by nearly 1,200 seats each way, with operations to be handled by the airline’s new Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Air India, already the largest carrier between India and the UK, currently operates 61 flights per week and offers more than 18,000 seats one-way, translating to nearly 1.7 million seats annually. The expanded schedule further consolidates its dominance while improving connectivity for business and leisure travellers alike.

Alongside the new Delhi-London frequency and the Amritsar-London (Gatwick) restoration, Air India has reinstated several key routes that were temporarily altered earlier this year. The Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) service returns to a full seven flights weekly, while Ahmedabad-London shifts back to Gatwick with thrice-weekly operations. Mumbai-London (Heathrow) maintains its double daily schedule, Delhi-Birmingham resumes thrice a week, and Amritsar-Birmingham continues with three flights weekly.

It is pertinent to mention that the Indian diaspora forms about 1.8 million of the UK population. Indian and British companies employ more than 650,000 people in each other’s countries.