Brussels Airport aims to restart flights between Brussels and the cities of Delhi and Mumbai.
The airport’s aviation development director is in India this week for an economic mission, engaging with Air India and IndiGo to attract them to the Belgian capital.
Flights between Belgium and India were previously operated by Jet Airways until 2016 and Brussels Airlines until 2018. India, now the world’s most populous country with 1.4 billion people, is the largest untapped Asian market for Belgium.
Conversely, Belgium and Spain are among India’s largest underserved markets.
Belgian and Indian companies frequently request the resumption of direct flights to Delhi and Mumbai. This demand is particularly strong from Antwerp’s diamond community and the large Indian expatriate population in Belgium.
Brussels Airport, aiming to strengthen its intercontinental network, regularly meets with Air India and IndiGo, including during this week’s economic mission.
Air India is the largest airline in India, while IndiGo has a crew lease agreement with Norse Atlantic and plans to start European routes this summer.
According to Brussels Airport, a new direct flight would significantly boost traffic for business, holidays, and family visiting in Belgium.
A direct route would also have substantial cargo potential, particularly for pharmaceuticals, given India’s prominent role in generic drug production.
Last year, Brussels Airport welcomed 23.6 million passengers and handled 700,000 tonnes of cargo. Approximately 150,000 people travelled between Belgium and India in 2024.
