Major Global Airline Partnership to Connect India, North America, and Europe

IndiGo, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic have announced plans to establish a significant partnership aimed at enhancing connectivity between India, Europe, and North America, with the potential for future global expansion. This collaboration seeks to integrate their respective networks—IndiGo’s extensive domestic coverage in India, Delta’s strong presence in North America and the transatlantic market, Air France-KLM’s reach across Europe and North America, and Virgin Atlantic’s UK and transatlantic routes—allowing travellers easier access across continents with improved convenience and service consistency.

India remains at the centre of this initiative as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. By linking dozens of cities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and India, the alliance aims to meet increasing international travel demands while setting new standards in global aviation cooperation. The partnership also creates opportunities for sharing best practices in technology, operations, and service delivery, fostering mutual growth and innovation.

Leaders from each airline have expressed their commitment to expanding their networks and improving the travel experience.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, commented, “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 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, also commented, “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 US to India in the near future.” 

Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, elaborated, “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. and 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 25^th 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 optimised flight times to loyalty benefits.”