The airline group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with plans to build an industry-leading partnership between North America, the U.K., Europe, India and beyond (Source: Delta)
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DeltaIndiGo, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic today announced plans to build an industry-leading partnership connecting India with Europe and North America, with ambitions to grow to a global scale.
India, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, is at the heart of this collaboration. By linking IndiGo’s extensive domestic network with Delta’s strength in North America and the transatlantic, the extensive reach of Air France-KLM in Europe and North America, and the U.K. and transatlantic presence of Virgin Atlantic, the partnership is poised to offer travelers broader access, smoother journeys, and a more consistent experience across continents. Linking dozens of cities in the United States, Canada, Europe and India, the airlines aim to meet rising demand for international travel while setting new standards for connectivity and cooperation in global aviation.
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, said: “IndiGo has embarked on an ambitious journey to become a global airline by 2030. This partnership represents another important milestone to pursue commercial synergies, operational excellence and innovation. This announcement not only expands our relationship with Air France–KLM and Virgin Atlantic but also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter as we welcome Delta Air Lines as a valued partner. We are particularly excited to start our long-haul expansion from this Summer and connect with our partners’ networks to provide greater access to Europe and North America. This strategic partnership enables a compelling combined customer proposition in the form of comprehensive intercontinental connectivity, seamless experience and great loyalty value. It also lays the groundwork for us to exchange best practices in areas of technology, operational excellence and service delivery.”
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, said: “This agreement is another example of our commitment to making travel more connected, more inclusive and more accessible. 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.”
Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, said: “We are very glad to extend our existing partnership with IndiGo and to do so alongside our partners Delta and Virgin Atlantic. India is a strategic market for Air France-KLM, where we have a strong and historic presence soon to increase. We look forward to welcoming IndiGo customers on our flights and to play an active role in the country’s connectivity.”
Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, said: “In our 25th year of flying to India, we’re delighted to build on our Joint Venture with Delta and Air France-KLM, and our successful codeshare with IndiGo, by going further with this partnership. As IndiGo starts long haul operations, we’ll connect four of the world’s largest economies, enhancing the travel experience for our guests, from greater connectivity and optimized flight times to loyalty benefits.”
Connecting Route Networks, 2022 and Beyond
IndiGo has had partnerships with Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic and with Air France-KLM since 2022. Since then, Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic customers have had access to more than 30 IndiGo points in India.
More recently, IndiGo announced the start of service to Europe, which, in addition to expanding the existing partnership with Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic transatlantic flights, facilitates a new partnership opportunity between IndiGo and Delta, enabling Indigo’s customers to connect to Delta’s broad transatlantic network. After commercial contracts and regulatory procedures are completed to allow IndiGo to sell partner flights as its own under its own 6E* marketing codes, IndiGo customers will be able to book onward travel on select flights operated by its international partners, making it easier to reach destinations across Europe and North America. These include:
- KLM flights from Amsterdam to 30 points within Europe
- Delta and KLM flights from Amsterdam to the United States and Canada
- Virgin Atlantic flights from Manchester to the United States
For its part, KLM’s recently announced new route connecting Amsterdam with Hyderabad offers further opportunity for cooperation with IndiGo. With the route’s launch in September 2025, Air France-KLM will begin selling IndiGo flights to 24 destinations beyond Hyderabad.
IndiGo has previously announced that it will enhance its fleet of damp leased B787 to six aircraft later this year and has in place a long-term firm order of 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with options for 70 more. As these aircraft join IndiGo’s fleet, the airline’s long-haul expansion will enable further and deeper cooperation between IndiGo and Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic in the future.
Delta, meanwhile, plans to resume services to India with nonstop flights between Atlanta and Delhi, subject to government approval. The service start date will be announced later.
Future Collaboration
The MoU also creates a framework for deeper collaboration between the carriers on a bilateral and multilateral basis; contemplates commercial collaboration including network, loyalty, cargo and sales, subject to regulatory approvals; explores areas of non-commercial cooperation including aircraft maintenance, sustainability, training, ground handling; and acknowledges the need to develop advanced collaboration through use of technology to efficiently service joint customers.
Source: Delta
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