New Delhi [India], August 12 (ANI): IndiGo will launch direct flights from Mumbai to two major Central Asian cities, Tashkent in Uzbekistan and Almaty in Kazakhstan, starting September 1 and 2, 2025, respectively. The airline said in a press release that these routes will operate four times a week, further strengthening international connectivity from India's financial capital.

The move comes shortly after IndiGo began direct services between Mumbai and Tbilisi, Georgia. Industry watchers say the airline is clearly positioning Mumbai as a key aviation hub, linking it to emerging destinations beyond traditional long-haul markets. IndiGo already flies directly from Delhi to Tashkent, Almaty and Tbilisi, a network established in 2023, and the latest additions mark a westward expansion from the western coast.

'Building on the successful operations from New Delhi to Tbilisi, Almaty and Tashkent, we are pleased to now connect all these destinations with Mumbai,' said Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales at IndiGo. 'Recently, we have also commenced our long-haul flights from Mumbai to Manchester and Amsterdam, marking our entry into Europe. With these, IndiGo will further strengthen connectivity from the country's financial capital to destinations within India, as well as across the globe.'

Central Asia has been drawing more Indian travellers in recent years, both for tourism and business. Direct connectivity is expected to make these cities more accessible, reducing travel times and bypassing the need for stopovers in the Gulf or other hubs. The airline's latest strategy appears to blend leisure routes with long-haul connections, tapping into a diverse passenger base ranging from tourists to corporate travellers.

The new flights will operate at a frequency designed to cater to both weekend leisure trips and weekday business travel. While IndiGo has not publicly shared load factor expectations for these routes, industry experience suggests that early operations will test the strength of demand before any scale-up.

Tickets for the Mumbai-Tashkent and Mumbai-Almaty flights are now on sale, available through IndiGo's official website and mobile app. The airline says this expanded network offers passengers more options to 'fly to different parts of the world from Mumbai' without routing through Delhi or other cities. (ANI)