LONDON: IndiGo will launch daily flights between New Delhi and Manchester. The new direct service was announced at the start of the trade mission to India led by UK PM Keir Starmer.This comes just months after IndiGo picked Manchester airport for its first ever long-haul route into Europe, launching direct flights between Mumbai and Manchester in July. It means that from November there will be nine direct flights a week between Manchester and India. There will be five flights a week from Mumbai to Manchester, and four a week from Delhi to Manchester.Until now, there were three direct flights from Mumbai to Manchester. Manchester airport is now the only UK airport outside London to have direct services to both Mumbai and Delhi. They will all operate from Manchester’s state-of-the-art £1.3 billion Terminal 2.The two routes are expected to generate increased exports worth more than £33.5 million a year, £26 million in tourism income from Indian visitors, 500 new jobs, and more than £26 million of productivity savings for UK businesses.Chief secretary to the UK Treasury James Murray said: “Manchester airport has recently had a large amount of investment which has enabled Terminal 2 to be renovated and expanded, and on the basis of the extra capacity IndiGo chose Manchester airport.”British Airways on Wednesday confirmed it will introduce a third daily flight between Delhi and London Heathrow in 2026, subject to regulatory and capacity approval, and will look for further growth opportunities in India as trade between the UK and India increases.