Indian arrivals in the Southeast Asian nation grew 43 per cent on a year-on-year basis.  | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Mumbai:  

Indian passengers will have more travel options to Manila as IndiGo and Philippine Airlines plan to launch new flights in the coming months. Air India too is enhancing capacity on the Delhi-Manila route by deploying a 256-seater twin-class Boeing 787 aircraft from October 25. 

The move comes amid a growth in trade and tourism between the two countries. Over 60,000 Indians visited Philippines in the first six months of CY 2026 taking advantage of visa free entry scheme. Indian arrivals in the Southeast Asian nation grew 43 per cent on a year-on-year basis. 

Bilateral cooperation is also rising with India and Philippines elevating relations to a strategic partnership in 2025. Apart from collaborating in digital and defence sectors, the two sides are also looking to increase trade and investments. 

New Arrivals

Philippine Airlines is planning to start flights to Delhi and Mumbai in the winter schedule. IndiGo has sought approval from the Civil Aeronautics Board of Philippines to launch flights. According to local media reports, IndiGo intends to operate flights to capital Manila and island of Cebu, which is popular for scuba diving.

“We are witnessing a marked increase in inquiries for travel to Philippines. The country is benefitting from two important drivers – visa free access for Indian travellers and improving air connectivity. It would be particularly beneficial to see connectivity expand from multiple Indian metros to both Manila and Cebu as this would broaden access beyond the Delhi market,” said Neeraj Singh Dev, executive vice president (domestic and short haul holidays), Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel.

Passenger Volumes

Currently, Air India operates on Delhi-Manila route daily with a 188-seater Airbus A321 aircraft. Air India started with five weekly flights last October and made it a daily service. 

“Passenger volumes have grown in both directions every quarter since launch and load factors on the return Manila-Delhi sector in particular have twice touched low-80s. Manila’s traffic clearly skews towards price-sensitive leisure and visiting friends and relatives segments. A bigger two-class aircraft lets the airline chase that volume more aggressively,” said Ameya Joshi, founder of aviation blog Network Thoughts. 

Published on August 26, 2026