The Middle Eastern Conflict, which is said to be in ceasefire mode from today onwards, has, over the past month, led airlines to reconsider their plans to accelerate their India flight expansion. Here are all the international carriers launching flights or expanding capacity in India.
The Lufthansa Group
The airlines of the Lufthansa Group are expanding their flight offerings for summer 2026, responding specifically to the short-term shift and increase in demand in tourist and business air travel. This summer, Lufthansa therefore plans to offer two additional weekly flights from Frankfurt to Chennai, India; two additional weekly flights to Delhi; one additional flight to Hyderabad; and one additional weekly flight from Munich to Bangalore. Swiss has already added seven weekly flights to Delhi to its schedule.
The additional capacity is being created by adjusting the flight program for the Middle East, thereby efficiently utilising idle resources. This measure enables Lufthansa and the other airlines of the Group to respond flexibly to changes in travellers’ booking behaviour, influenced by geopolitical developments.
With the expansion of the summer flight program, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are offering a wider range of travel connections and improving availability during the peak travel season.
British Airways
In response to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, British Airways is adding short-term capacity from Delhi and Mumbai to meet customer demand. A third daily service from Delhi launched on April 7, followed by a third daily service from Mumbai from May 15, 2026.
From April 7 to May 31, 2026, British Airways will operate a third daily service from Delhi to London Heathrow, building on its existing double daily presence in India’s capital. In Mumbai, the airline will add its third daily flight to London Heathrow from May 15 to 31, 2026, providing more options when travelling during the peak season.
With this additional capacity, British Airways will operate up to 63 weekly flights between India and the UK, adding more than 1,000 seats per week.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic is increasing services between London Heathrow and Bengaluru (Bangalore) from 11 to 13 flights per week from June 1, 2026, through to the end of the Summer season, marking a significant step towards double-daily operations on the route.
With India representing Virgin Atlantic’s largest growth area outside the United States, the expanded Bengaluru schedule complements the airline’s twice-daily services from London Heathrow to both Delhi and Mumbai. It also further deepens the airline’s partnership with IndiGo, enabling seamless connections to more than 30 destinations across India, including Goa, Amritsar and Jaipur.
The Bengaluru service continues to be operated by Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, offering 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy seats, alongside the airline’s signature Upper Class social space.
Virgin Atlantic also announced that flight VS358/359 operating on the London Heathrow–Mumbai (LHR–BOM) route will temporarily switch from the Boeing 787 to the Airbus A350 between March 28 and May 15, 2026. This change adds 30% more capacity on the route, further strengthening connectivity during the busy travel season.
Bottomline
Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Swiss and Lufthansa are among the airlines that have enhanced their flights to India or are in the process of doing so due to the Middle East conflict. The enhancements come at an opportune time to beat the scarcity of seats caused by the Middle Eastern carrier capacity evaporating from the market overnight.
What do you make of the expansion of capacity by the European carriers into India?
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