Air India to operate Delhi-Manila flights from October, connecting India and the Philippines with non-stop flights after 12 years

Indian Express

2 days ago

Tata group airline Air India Wednesday announced the launch of non-stop flights between Delhi and Manila from October 1, connecting the capitals of India and the Philippines for the first time in over a decade. Non-stop flights between India and the Philippines were last operated in 2013 by Philippine Airlines, when the carrier suspended the service due to low demand. But a lot has changed over the past 12 years, with significant growth in outbound travel from India and various countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, vying for Indian tourist footfalls.
Starting October 1, Air India's service to Manila will operate five days a week—Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday—using the Airbus A321neo aircraft with a three-class cabin configuration featuring business class, premium economy, and economy classes. Bookings for the service, with a flight duration of around six-and-a-half hours, are now open across booking channels.
The announcement from Air India comes close on the heels of the Philippines making travel to the country visa-free for Indian tourists for up to 14 days, joining other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia. Earlier, the 14-day visa free entry was reserved for only those Indian nationals who have valid visas or permanent residency of countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, and countries in the Schengen zone.
The Philippines, which boasts of some of the best beaches and pristine islands, has also seen a notable growth in Indian tourists visiting the archipelago over the past few years. According to data from the tourism department of the Philippines, the number of Indian nationals who visited the archipelago in 2024 grew 12.4 per cent year-on-year to almost 79,000. The number was around 53 per cent higher than 2022 levels.
But travelling between India and the Philippines was not very convenient, with travellers having to take connecting flights from Southeast Asian hub airports like Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
Apart from catering to point-to-point travel between India and the Philippines, Air India is also eyeing transfer traffic between Europe and the Philippines with one-stop connectivity via its hub in Delhi. Southeast Asia to West Asia and Europe are some of the key markets with significant transfer traffic potential for Indian airlines—mainly Air India and IndiGo. The two airlines are rapidly expanding their international networks to the west and east of India in a bid to offer more direct flights to flyers to more international destinations, while also capturing the opportunity to transfer international passengers at Indian airports like Delhi and Mumbai. Southeast Asia is among the regions where Indian carriers have expanded and densified their network over the past two-three years.
'The introduction of our Delhi-Manila route is yet another step in our mission to connect India with more of the world, non-stop. As outboundtravel from India grows at an unprecedented pace, with Indian tourists ranking among the highest spenders globally, the new entry rules for Indian tourists are a shot in the arm to boost tourism to the Philippines. We are happy to facilitate new opportunities for cultural exchange and economic collaboration between the two nations, while bringing the new Air India to more travellers around the world,' said Air India's CEO and MD Campbell Wilson.
Apart from the leisure travel demand, trade between India and the Philippines has also grown notably, jumping to $3.53 billion in 2023-24 from $1.89 billion in 2015-16, according to the Embassy of India in Manila.