London to Mumbai flights

When fares to Mumbai are lowest

Fares to Mumbai are usually lowest outside Diwali, Christmas and New Year, Ganesh Chaturthi and the UK school summer holidays in July and August. The live fare calendar on this page shows this month's lowest fares across the next 12 months, so you can compare your dates against quieter weeks.

Use the calendar as a starting point, not a promise. It covers 12 months, which means you can see how your wedding, family visit or work trip dates sit against the festival weeks that push fares up. If your dates are fixed, book as early as you feel comfortable. If they are flexible, move them a week either side of the busy periods and watch the calendar for movement.

To make the most of the calendar:

1. Open the live fare calendar on this page and look at the next 12 months.
2. Mark the weeks you can travel, including any flexibility around Diwali, Christmas and New Year, Ganesh Chaturthi and the UK school summer holidays.
3. Compare the lowest fares shown for those weeks and note which ones sit outside the busy periods.
4. Set a price alert for your chosen dates so you are told when fares fall.
5. Check again closer to departure, as fares move in both directions.

Direct flights and airlines on the route

Air India, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all fly nonstop from London to Mumbai, landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM). A nonstop flight removes the risk of a missed connection, which matters if you are travelling for a wedding or festival with fixed dates.

Nonstop is the simplest choice for family trips and work travel. You leave London, you land in Mumbai, and you clear arrivals once. India is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of the UK in winter and 4 hours 30 minutes ahead in British Summer Time, so plan pickups on Mumbai local time. Check your arrival time against your onward plans before you book.

Some itineraries with stops show up on comparison sites, including Pegasus, AJet, and easyJet and Ryanair as parts of self transfer routes. On a self transfer you book separate tickets, and the airlines do not protect your connection. If the first flight is delayed, you carry the cost and the risk. For a family visit or a wedding with a fixed date, that risk is rarely worth it. If you do book a self transfer, leave a long gap between flights and travel with hand luggage only if you can.

Busy weeks on the London to Mumbai route

Demand peaks around Diwali, which falls on 8 November 2026 and about 29 October 2027, plus Christmas and New Year, Ganesh Chaturthi in August or September, and the UK school summer holidays in July and August. Fares on these weeks are usually higher, and seats sell earlier.

Diwali is the big one for family travel, and the dates move each year, so check which week your trip lands in. Ganesh Chaturthi in August or September brings another surge, and it can overlap with the tail of the UK school summer holidays. Christmas and New Year combine UK leave with family visits, so both directions get busy.

If you must travel in a peak week, book earlier than you would for a quiet month and set an alert so you hear about any dip. If you have any flexibility, a week either side of Diwali or Ganesh Chaturthi can make a real difference to what you pay.

Arriving in Mumbai: phone, data and entry

India's main mobile networks are Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea, with coverage up to 5G. Sort out data before you fly or as soon as you land so you can reach family, book a ride and share your arrival. Check the official entry rules for your passport before you travel.

A travel eSIM or a mobile top up set up before departure means your phone works the moment you land at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. That helps if someone is meeting you, or if you need to message ahead about a delay. Choose a plan that covers the networks you expect to use, Jio, Airtel or Vodafone Idea, and check it supports 5G if your phone does.

Entry rules depend on your passport and change from time to time. Check the official rules for your passport well before you fly, and again close to departure, rather than relying on what worked for a friend last year.

How to get a price alert for your dates

Set a price alert for your exact dates and we check fares every day and email when they fall well under the usual price for your dates or under your own target. That means you do not need to check the calendar every morning.

Enter your travel dates, and your own target if you have one, and let the alerts do the work. This is useful for Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi weeks, when fares move quickly, and for work trips where your dates are fixed but your budget is not.

Use the live fare calendar on this page to see this month's lowest fares, then set the alert and get on with planning the rest of the trip.