Air India Launches Direct Flights To Manila

June 4, 2025

DELHI, 4 JUN | Today Air India has announced that they will be linking India with the Philippines, marking the first direct link between the 2 nations in 14 years! The carrier will launch non-stop flights from Delhi (DEL) to Manila (MNL) starting 1 October 2025.

The route will be operated 5 times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It will be operated using the airline's state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft, featuring a three-class cabin configuration with Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class.

The outbound service, AI2362 departs Delhi at 1.20pm local time, arriving in Manila at 10.40pm the same day. It then returns back to Delhi with the inbound service AI2361 departing Manila at 11.40pm, arriving back in Delhi at 3.50am the next day. Air India's flight schedule also ensures seamless connectivity to various European cities.

This non-stop connection was last operated by Philippine Airlines, before being suspended in 2011 due to commercial reasons. It was then replaced by a one-stop itinerary via Bangkok which was later suspended in June 2013. However, the airline attempted to restart direct flights in 2019 but later axed it, citing it was due to India-Pakistan border tensions.

It is notable to mention that while Air India has never had direct commercial flights to the Philippines, they did operate a repatriation flight to Manila during the COVID-19 pandemic using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

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Written by: Sohail Sawlani
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Sources

- Air India (Press Release)
- The Philippine Star (2019)
- Wikimedia Commons