IndiGo, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic Announce Partnership tto Link Fast-Growing Indian Economy with North America and Europe

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

Delhi, India, June 1, 2025: IndiGo, 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 Airlines 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.

About Air France-KLM

A global player with a strong European base, the Air France-KLM Group’s main areas of business are passenger transport, cargo transport and aeronautical maintenance.

Air France-KLM is a leading airline Group in terms of international traffic on departure from Europe. It offers its customers access to a worldwide network, covering over 320 destinations thanks to Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia, mainly from its bases at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Amsterdam-Schiphol.

Flying Blue is the loyalty programme of the Air France-KLM Group with more than 26 million members.

Together with its partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM operates the largest transatlantic joint venture, with more than 375 daily flights. Air France-KLM is also a member of the SkyTeam, the alliance dedicated to providing passengers with a more seamless travel experience at every step of their journey 19 member airlines working together across an extensive global network.

Recognized for 20 years as an industry leader in sustainable development, the Air France-KLM Group is determined to accelerate the transition to more sustainable aviation.

Air France-KLM press office: + 33 (0)1 41 56 56 00 – www.airfranceklm.com - @AirFranceKLM

About Delta

Through exceptional service and the power of innovation, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) never stops looking for ways to make every trip feel tailored to every customer. There are 100,000 Delta people leading the way to deliver a world-class customer experience on up to 5,000 peak-day Delta and Delta Connection flights to more than 290 destinations on six continents, connecting people to places and to each other.

Delta served more than 200 million customers in 2024 – safely, reliably and with industry-leading customer service innovation – and was recognized by J.D. Power in 2024 for being No. 1 in First/Business and Premium Economy Passenger Satisfaction. The airline also was recognized again as North America's most on-time airline in 2024 and our people earned the Platinum Award for Operational Excellence from Cirium.

We remain committed to ensuring that the future of travel is connected, personalized and enjoyable. Our people's genuine and enduring motivation is to make every customer feel welcomed and cared for across every point of their journey with us.

For more information, visit Delta News Hub at news.delta.com.

About IndiGo

IndiGo is India’s preferred and amongst the fastest growing carriers in the world. IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer fares that are affordable, flights that are on time, and provide a courteous and hassle- free travel experience across its unparalleled network. With its fleet of 400+ aircraft, the airline operates around 2200+ daily flights, connecting 90+ domestic and 40+ international destinations, inducted 58 aircraft in 2024 and welcomed over 118 million customers in FY25. India by IndiGo! For more information, please visit www.goIndiGo.inor download our mobile app. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Virgin Atlantic 

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2024, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the eighth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs 8,500 people worldwide, flying customers to 28 destinations across four continents throughout the year.

Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. In February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers. Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam in March 2023 as the global airline alliance’s first and only UK member airline, enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic network and services to and from Heathrow and Manchester Airport.

Virgin Atlantic has been pioneering sustainability leadership for more than 15 years, committing to Net Zero by 2050 and continuous action that reduces environmental impact. The airline operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the skies, with an average age under seven years. In October 2022, Virgin Atlantic welcomed its first A330-900’s to the fleet, continuing its transformation towards 100% next generation aircraft by 2028. In November 2023, the airline led a consortium to deliver the world’s first flight across the Atlantic on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), demonstrating that 100% SAF can be used safely as a drop in fuel in existing infrastructure, engines and airframes. The need to scale production is an industry imperative and Virgin Atlantic is committed to radical collaboration across the energy chain to support commercialisation ahead of 2030.

For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.