Virgin Atlantic to launch new route from Manchester to India

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The past few months have meant serious expansion for Virgin Atlantic. And now, the carrier is adding another route to its network. Soon, Virgin will begin flying between Manchester and Delhi, India.

As of Oct. 26, 2020, Virgin Atlantic will fly from Manchester (MAN) to Delhi (DEL). The flight will operate with three weekly services between the two cities with an A330-200 aircraft on the following schedule:

• VS318 Manchester (MAN) 4:40 p.m. Departure ⇒ Delhi (DEL) 6:05 a.m. (+1) Arrival — Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays
• VS319 Delhi (DEL) 8:10 a.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 12:10 p.m. Arrival — Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays

Flights for the new route will go on sale as of 3 March, and economy fares will start at £535 return.

Related reading: Jet-lag buster: Virgin Atlantic A330 in economy from Boston to London

Tuesday's announcement of the new service is the latest in a string of additions that Virgin has been making out of Manchester (MAN). In addition to this new route, Virgin also announced that it's increasing service from Manchester to Barbados as of January 2021.

"2020 is an extremely exciting year of continued growth for Virgin Atlantic and increasing our presence out of Manchester is a huge focus for us," Virgin Chief Commercial Officer Juha Jarvinen said in a statement.

The carrier already offers twice daily service between London Heathrow (LHR) and Delhi. In addition to expanding its service from Manchester, Virgin is also adding an additional weekly service between London Heathrow and Havana. Plus, Virgin recently announced that it would begin flying between London Heathrow and Cape Town — a return to the leisure destination that it previously served.