Mumbai to London Flights 2026 — Air India vs Virgin Atlantic vs Emirates Compared

510 flights operate weekly between Mumbai and London as of May 2026 — making it one of the most connected city pairs in South Asia. Most Indian travellers comparing this route settle on three names: Air India, Virgin Atlantic, or Emirates. That's reasonable as far as it goes. What's less reasonable is that almost no Indian editorial publication has mentioned that IndiGo — the budget carrier Indian travellers associate with Kolkata to Hyderabad routes — flies Mumbai to London Heathrow nonstop, seven times a week, at fares that beat both Virgin Atlantic and Emirates on return tickets.

This post is a proper comparison. All four airlines. With baggage included. With Heathrow terminal information. With a specific warning about Emirates' Gatwick departures from Mumbai that catches Indian travellers off guard on a 9.5-hour flight investment. And with Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy explained — because on this specific route, the upgrade from economy to PE is closer in cost than most people expect, and the product difference at 9 hours 35 minutes overnight is meaningful.

The cheapest round-trip flight from Mumbai to London recently found on Google Flights was with British Airways from $544 (₹51,136). Air India comes in at $545 (₹51,230), IndiGo at $557 (₹52,358), Emirates at $620 (₹58,280), and Virgin Atlantic at $651 (₹61,194). Those headline numbers tell part of the story. The rest of it — baggage, terminals, total journey time, and what happens when Emirates routes you through Dubai and drops you at Gatwick instead of Heathrow — is what this guide covers.

We compared fares on FlyFlick with major Indian booking platforms — and found savings of ₹1,000–₹2,500 on most international routes. Search below and compare yourself before booking anywhere else.

Booking in USD through FlyFlick? No GST applies on international flights booked via foreign platforms — you're not paying Indian service tax here. To avoid your bank's forex markup, use a zero-forex card like Niyo or Scapia. Note: a 5% TCS applies on foreign currency payments but is fully refundable when you file your ITR.

Air India and IndiGo flights from Mumbai arrive at Heathrow Terminal 2. Virgin Atlantic and Emirates arrive at Terminal 3. British Airways uses Terminal 5 — if you're connecting to a BA domestic UK flight after landing, you'll need the inter-terminal transfer, which takes 15–20 minutes.

Current Mumbai to London Flight Prices — All Airlines in 2026

The table below shows verified economy return fares from Mumbai (BOM) to London (LHR or LGW) across all airlines operating this route as of May 2026. These are real prices for travellers booking 6–10 weeks out.

Prices are approximate return economy fares per person. Currency conversion at ₹94 = $1 USD. Prices fluctuate daily — use FlyFlick's search to verify live fares before booking.

The Qatar Airways and Kuwait Airways rows at the bottom carry a genuine value signal for budget-conscious travellers: if you can accept a 1-stop journey and an extra 3–4 hours of travel time, returns under ₹50,000 are consistently available. Connecting flights on this route can offer 20–40% savings compared to direct flights — which on a ₹65,000 nonstop return translates to ₹13,000–₹26,000 saved for a 3-hour layover in Doha or Kuwait City. For a 10-day or longer trip, that math is worth considering.

UK Government travel page.

Air India vs Virgin Atlantic vs Emirates — The Comparison Properly Done

Air India runs 14 nonstop weekly departures from Mumbai to London Heathrow. Return fares start at approximately ₹51,000 on cheapest dates, with 23 kg checked baggage included in Value economy fares. The aircraft on this route varies — Air India operates a mix of Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo aircraft on BOM–LHR. The 787 is the better long-haul aircraft; check which one is assigned to your specific departure before booking. Air India has been improving its product consistency on this route, and at ₹51,000 return with baggage included, it represents the best price-to-value ratio of the three named carriers for most Indian travellers.

Virgin Atlantic operates 14 nonstop weekly departures from Mumbai to London Heathrow. Return fares on Virgin Atlantic for this route have been found at $624 (₹58,656) for late October to early November travel. Economy fares start around ₹61,000 on most booking windows, with 23 kg baggage included. The product quality on Virgin Atlantic's BOM–LHR service is genuinely superior to Air India economy in most measured aspects — wider seats, better entertainment system, more attentive cabin crew on a route with a high proportion of leisure travellers. The ₹10,000–₹15,000 premium over Air India economy is the honest price of that difference.

Emirates is the most complex airline in this comparison because of a detail that appears nowhere on Indian booking platforms: Emirates offers 200 connecting flights per week from Mumbai to London — to multiple London airports including LHR, LGW, and STN. Gatwick (LGW) is 45 km from central London — significantly further than Heathrow's 23 km. A taxi from Gatwick to Mayfair or Paddington costs approximately ₹8,500–₹10,000 (£90–£110). The National Express coach runs for ₹1,400–₹2,000 (£15–£22) but takes 75–90 minutes. If you search MakeMyTrip for "Mumbai to London" and book Emirates without checking the destination airport code, you may find yourself at Gatwick with a ₹8,500 taxi bill you didn't budget for. Always verify: Emirates LHR or Emirates LGW before confirming.

On Heathrow departures specifically, Emirates is a 1-stop via Dubai — adding 3–5 hours of total travel time against Air India's nonstop. The 30 kg baggage allowance is the genuine advantage over Air India's 23 kg. For a traveller going to the UK for a month with significant luggage, that 7 kg difference saves ₹5,000–₹8,000 in excess baggage fees and brings the total cost comparison much closer than the headline fares suggest.

Virgin Atlantic's economy seat on BOM–LHR has a 31-inch pitch — similar to Air India — but its Premium Economy at 38 inches for approximately ₹15,000–₹25,000 more on the return is worth calculating against a 9.5-hour overnight flight where sleep quality directly affects your first day in London.

The IndiGo BOM–LHR Secret Most Indian Travellers Don't Know

The single most surprising data point in this entire comparison: IndiGo operates 7 nonstop flights per week from Mumbai (BOM) to London Heathrow (LHR), with return fares starting from $557 (₹52,358) — cheaper than both Emirates and Virgin Atlantic on most date combinations.

IndiGo began this route in 2024 and it remains almost entirely absent from Indian editorial discussion — possibly because travellers struggle to reconcile IndiGo with a 9.5-hour intercontinental flight. The operational reality: IndiGo's BOM–LHR service runs on an Airbus A321XLR — a modern narrowbody with extended range capability. The product is functional; the seats are economy narrowbody. For a 9.5-hour overnight flight, it's noticeably less comfortable than Air India's 787 widebody — but at ₹52,000 return vs ₹61,000 on Virgin Atlantic, the ₹9,000 difference is a real saving.

The critical caveat: IndiGo's base fare for BOM–LHR includes cabin baggage only. Adding a 20 kg checked bag pushes the total by ₹2,500–₹3,500 per leg — approximately ₹5,000–₹7,000 round-trip. Once you add that, IndiGo's all-in cost rises to ₹57,000–₹59,000 return, which is within ₹500–₹2,000 of Air India's fully-inclusive ₹51,000–₹57,000 range. The IndiGo fare only wins clearly for carry-on-only travellers on this specific route. IndiGo's BOM–LHR fastest flight time is 6 hours 5 minutes — noticeably faster than the average of 9h 30m–9h 35m, suggesting some routes may involve technical stops or different routings depending on airspace. Verify the exact routing before booking.

Air Canada also merits a mention: Air Canada operates 4 nonstop weekly flights from Mumbai to London Heathrow, with return fares from around ₹54,000 including 23 kg checked baggage. It's a competent full-service carrier often overlooked by Indian travellers — worth checking alongside Air India on any date search.

Emirates Gatwick Warning — Which London Airport Are You Actually Flying Into?

This deserves its own section because it's the most consequential booking mistake on this route and it happens silently within normal OTA search results.

When you search "Mumbai to London" on MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, or Ixigo, the search engine returns all London airports under the "LON" code — Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), and Stansted (STN). Emirates operates to all three from Mumbai, with different ticket prices for each. Emirates offers flights to London Gatwick and Stansted in addition to Heathrow from Mumbai — and the Gatwick and Stansted options frequently appear at the top of price-sorted searches because they're priced lower.

The geographic reality of London: Gatwick is 45 km from central London. Getting to Zone 1 from Gatwick requires either the Gatwick Express at ₹3,800 (£40) return, a National Express coach at ₹1,400 (£15) taking 75 minutes, or a taxi at ₹8,500–₹10,000 (£90–£110) one-way. Stansted is even further — 56 km northeast of London, primarily serving budget European routes. If you're staying in Central London, West London, or anywhere near the standard tourist areas, flying into Gatwick or Stansted adds both time and money to your trip versus LHR.

The fix is simple but requires active attention: before confirming any Emirates booking from Mumbai, check the "destination" airport code on the booking page. If it shows LGW or STN and you're staying in Central London, the price difference between that option and an LHR booking may be smaller than the transport cost difference at the London end.

For all other airlines in this comparison — Air India, IndiGo, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, British Airways — the standard BOM–London nonstop service lands at Heathrow. No ambiguity.

Heathrow's Terminal 3 connects directly to the Elizabeth Line and Piccadilly Line — both Air India (T2) and Virgin Atlantic/Emirates (T3) arrivals have direct rail access to central London without inter-terminal transfers.

Cheapest Month to Fly Mumbai to London in 2026

The price variation on this route is wider than any other international departure from Mumbai — between July (cheapest) and December (most expensive on full-service carriers), the same economy return can differ by ₹40,000–₹60,000.

✅ = Book these months | 🔴 = Avoid if budget-sensitive

July is counterintuitively the cheapest month despite being UK summer. The reason: UK schools are in session for the first two weeks of July, and Indian school summer holidays have already ended in most states. That brief 2–3 week window in early July — before the full UK family travel surge of late July and August — is the structural sweet spot for BOM–LHR fares. Book in June for July travel, at least 6–8 weeks in advance.

The October spike is entirely India-driven: Navratri, Dussehra, and Diwali push Indian outbound travel demand hard in September and October. BOM–LHR fares in the first three weeks of October regularly hit ₹75,000–₹88,000 on carriers that quote ₹51,000 in July.

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy from Mumbai — Is It Worth It?

This section exists because no Indian travel editorial has written about it and it's genuinely relevant for a significant segment of Indian travellers flying this route — particularly those visiting the UK for extended family trips, business travel, or once-in-several-years leisure visits.

Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy cabin on BOM–LHR offers a 38-inch seat pitch (vs 31 inches in economy), a 19-inch seat width with a centre console, dedicated cabin crew, a three-course meal on proper crockery, and a dedicated check-in queue and baggage allowance of 2×23 kg. The price difference between economy and Premium Economy on this route typically runs ₹12,000–₹28,000 on the return ticket depending on the booking window. In July, when economy returns are in the ₹61,000–₹65,000 range, Premium Economy can sometimes be found at ₹75,000–₹80,000 return — a ₹14,000–₹15,000 premium for a 9.5-hour night flight where the quality of sleep directly determines whether you land in London functional or exhausted.

For Indian travellers who've spent ₹1,00,000+ on accommodation and activities for a London trip, spending ₹15,000 more for a meaningful upgrade on a 9.5-hour overnight flight is worth calculating. Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy on this route is consistently rated among the best PE products in this flight time category. It's not business class. But it's a significant and specific step above economy on a route where the flight itself is long enough to matter.

Booking in USD through FlyFlick? No GST applies on international flights booked via foreign platforms — you're not paying Indian service tax here. To avoid your bank's forex markup, use a zero-forex card like Niyo or Scapia. Note: a 5% TCS applies on foreign currency payments but is fully refundable when you file your ITR.

UK Visa for Indian Travellers in 2026 — The Digital Change Nobody Has Written About

As we covered in our Delhi to London flights guide, the UK Home Office made a critical change to its visa process for Indian nationals from February 25, 2026. All new UK Standard Visitor Visa approvals are now digital only — no physical sticker in your passport. Your approval is stored as a digital eVisa linked to your UKVI online account and tied to your passport number.

Airlines — including Air India, IndiGo, Virgin Atlantic, and Emirates — now verify your permission to board digitally at check-in. Travellers who received a UK visa approval and are expecting a physical sticker in their passport will not find one. If you haven't created your UKVI account and linked your eVisa to your passport before arriving at CSMIA T2, the check-in process will be slower and potentially delayed.

The visa application process and costs remain the same: the Standard Visitor Visa fee is £127 (approximately ₹13,500), with standard processing taking 15 working days from your biometric appointment at VFS Global in Mumbai. Apply at least 6 weeks before travel. VFS Global centres in Mumbai are at Fort (Lower Parel area) and other locations — book your biometric appointment as early as possible since slots fill quickly during peak season (July and October).

For Indian travellers also comparing this route from Delhi, our Delhi to London guide covers the same UK eVisa update in full and explains which Heathrow terminal each airline uses — identical information applies for Mumbai departures.

VFS Global's Mumbai visa application centre processes UK Standard Visitor Visas — biometric appointments are mandatory and should be booked as soon as your travel dates are fixed, particularly for October and December travel when appointment slots are scarce.

Best Day to Book and How Far in Advance — Mumbai–London 2026

KAYAK data shows that travellers who book at least 3 weeks in advance save around 10% compared to booking last minute for this route. For BOM–LHR specifically, push that further: the sweet spot is 10–14 weeks before departure. This is the highest-demand long-haul route from Mumbai — Air India, Virgin Atlantic, and IndiGo all have strong Indian diaspora traffic year-round — and early inventory on competitive fare buckets sells quickly.

Skyscanner data confirms that booking around 40 days in advance is currently the best timing for cheap BOM–London fares. Sunday and Tuesday are the best days to search. Indian OTA bank cashback offers — HDFC, Axis, ICICI — activate most reliably on Tuesday and Wednesday for international flight bookings, offering 8–10% cashback (capped at ₹1,000–₹1,500). On a ₹62,000 ticket, a ₹1,500 cashback is worth 60 seconds of checking your banking app.

One specific strategy for this route: because IndiGo's carry-on-only fare (₹52,000) sits within ₹1,000 of Air India's bag-inclusive fare (₹51,000) on many date combinations, the decision between them should be made based on the checked bag question first. If you're travelling with a bag, Air India wins. If you're genuinely carry-on only for a sub-10-day London trip, IndiGo's ₹52,000 fare is worth taking seriously.

All bookings via FlyFlick redirect to platforms accepting UPI, NetBanking, EMI on Indian credit cards, and standard debit cards. Some international aggregators price BOM–LHR in GBP or USD and add a 2–3% foreign transaction fee — on a ₹65,000 booking, that's ₹1,300–₹1,950 avoidable.

Step-by-Step Booking Strategy for Mumbai–London 2026

Step 1 — Target early July. July 18, 2026, is currently the single cheapest date for this route on Skyscanner — early July across all carriers shows the most competitive fares of the year. June is a close second.

Step 2 — Verify Emirates' destination airport code. Before confirming any Emirates booking, confirm it shows LHR (Heathrow) not LGW (Gatwick) or STN (Stansted). If it shows Gatwick, compare the total cost: Emirates fare + Gatwick Express (₹3,800 RT) vs Air India nonstop into Heathrow. The "cheaper" Emirates Gatwick fare frequently costs more when you add the transport differential.

Step 3 — Do the baggage math on IndiGo. IndiGo BOM–LHR is worth considering only for carry-on-only travel. Add a 20 kg bag and Air India's all-in cost is lower on most dates.

Step 4 — Calculate Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic if your trip warrants it. In July, the gap between VA economy and Premium Economy can be as low as ₹12,000–₹15,000 return. On a 9.5-hour overnight flight where you land needing to be functional, run the comparison before defaulting to economy.

Step 5 — Apply for your UK eVisa the moment you confirm your flight. Visit gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk, pay £127 (₹13,500), book your VFS Global biometric appointment in Mumbai, and create your UKVI account immediately upon approval. Apply at minimum 6 weeks before travelling.

Step 6 — Sort insurance and eSIM. Before confirming any flight, lock in VisitorsCoverage — medical coverage up to $1,000,000 for the UK, where NHS emergency care is available to visitors, but non-emergency treatment can be expensive. For a budget secondary option, EKTA starts from $0.99/day at ektatraveling.com.

For flight delay protection, Compensair covers up to €600 for delays and cancellations — file from your phone. For eSIM: Saily covers the UK from $1.99/day with 5G — activate before boarding at CSMIA T2. If you're extending your trip from London to other European destinations, Yesim covers multi-country unlimited data across Europe on one plan.

For traveler’s planning a longer India trip before their Mumbai departure, our Complete Mumbai International Flights Guide covers how the London route compares against Dubai, Bangkok, and Singapore on a single price page. And for the same Air India vs British Airways vs Emirates comparison from Delhi, our Delhi to London guide runs identical analysis from IGI.

Booking in USD through FlyFlick? No GST applies on international flights booked via foreign platforms — you're not paying Indian service tax here. To avoid your bank's forex markup, use a zero-forex card like Niyo or Scapia. Note: a 5% TCS applies on foreign currency payments but is fully refundable when you file your ITR.

Bottom Line

The Mumbai–London comparison in 2026 has a cleaner answer than most Indian travellers expect. Air India nonstop at ₹51,000 with 23 kg baggage beats Virgin Atlantic (₹61,000), Emirates (₹58,000 with Gatwick risk), and IndiGo (₹52,000 but no bag) on total cost for most travellers carrying checked luggage. Emirates' 30 kg baggage allowance closes the gap for heavy packers. Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy deserves serious consideration for anyone who'd value the in-flight experience on a 9.5-hour night flight at approximately ₹15,000 above economy.

The two mistakes to avoid: booking Emirates without confirming LHR vs LGW, and comparing IndiGo's headline fare to Air India before adding IndiGo's bag fee. Both errors cost more than any fare difference saves.

Book smart. Fly cheaper.

Your Mumbai–London Travel Checklist

🛡️ VisitorsCoverage — Medical coverage up to $1,000,000; sort before confirming any flight. 🛡️ EKTA — Budget secondary insurance from $0.99/day; ektatraveling.com.

✈️ FlyFlick Flight Search — Compare Air India, IndiGo, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates live; UPI and NetBanking accepted. ✈️ Compensair — Claim up to €600 for delays; no upfront cost, file from your phone.

📱 Saily — UK 5G eSIM from $1.99/day; activate before boarding at CSMIA T2. 📱 Yesim — Multi-country data if extending from London into Europe.

🛂 UK eVisa — Apply at gov.uk, £127 (₹13,500), 6 weeks before travel; digital only from February 25, 2026. 🛂 Emirates Airport Check — Confirm LHR, not LGW or STN, before paying for any Emirates booking.

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