MUMBAI, May 22 -- IndiGo has announced its first-ever long-haul route connecting Mumbai with Manchester, United Kingdom, on July 1 and Mumbai to Amsterdam, Netherlands, from July 2. The airline will use its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to operate three weekly flights on the route. This will make IndiGo the only airline offering direct connectivity between India and the Northern UK. Erstwhile Jet Airways operated the Boeing 777 on Mumbai to Manchester route before its operations were shut down in 2019. The Mumbai to Manchester flights will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The Mumbai to Amsterdam flights will operate on Wednesday Friday, and Sunday. Pieter Elbers, IndiGo's chief executive officer, said, "The Netherlands and India share a strong and thriving bilateral relationship, and this new non-stop, thrice-weekly service between Mumbai and Amsterdam will only deepen the growing ties between the two nations." A spokesperson said this service will unlock new avenues for bilateral trade and collaboration. Manchester Airport's managing director, Chris Woodroofe, said, "This route makes us the only Northern airport with a direct connection to India and cements our position as one of Europe's best-connected airports."Yogesh Naik...