Global airlines flood India’s skies as US-Europe traffic slows

The skies above India are about to get a lot busier as international carriers add more routes to the India to make up for tepid transatlantic demand that’s come under pressure from global economic uncertainties.

Foreign airlines and the biggest Indian operators announced a range of plans at the International Air Transport Association annual general meeting in New Delhi this week to start or increase services to and from India. Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to begin non-stop services from its hub in Atlanta to New Delhi, and the airline also announced a code-sharing pact with low-cost specialist IndiGo, alongside partners Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.

Now under private ownership, Air India Ltd. as well as market leader IndiGo are planning their own major international pushes. Air India has placed orders for 570 planes from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. since 2023 and IndiGo has an order book for more than 900 Airbus planes, including a recently expanded purchase of 60 A350 widebody aircraft.

India is already the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market and the country’s rising middle class makes the nation of more than 1.4 billion people a crucial driver of future growth. The upbeat outlook contrasts with caution about global travel demand as US President Donald Trump’s tariff uncertainties prompt households to rein in their spending.

IndiGo has emerged as a major winner of the push by foreign firms into the market, inking partnerships with some of the global industry’s biggest names. At an event in New Delhi on Sunday, Delta Air, along with its partners Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM, announced plans to increase code shares with India’s biggest airline. IndiGo, which hosted this year’s IATA AGM, also has codeshares with Qantas Airways Ltd., British Airways and Japan Airlines Co.