For Indian travellers, 2025 is a milestone year. New international flight routes, significant immigration changes, faster processing, and easier visa rules made travel much more straightforward. Long layovers, complex paperwork, and high fares were replaced by quicker, smoother, and more affordable trips. Direct flights now save hours, and new biometric immigration systems help avoid long lines. The travel industry is evolving rapidly, with Indians at the forefront.
India now has over 20 new direct international flights from both big cities and smaller airports. These new routes make it significantly easier to reach places that previously required long layovers or complex visa processes. Some of the new routes include Kolkata to Guangzhou and Siem Reap, New Delhi to Manila and Guangzhou, and several new flights from Pune, like Pune to Bangkok and Dubai. Mumbai now has direct flights to Tbilisi, Manchester, Amsterdam, Almaty, Krabi, and Seychelles. Bengaluru also has a new direct flight to Ho Chi Minh City, making travel to Vietnam easier. Airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air Astana, and Air India Express are operating on these routes.
One of the most transformative announcements this year is India’s plan to allow passengers flying abroad via Delhi or Mumbai to complete their immigration checks at the airport where their journey begins. Speaking to PTI, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu shared, “For example, someone flying from Surat to London could complete immigration in Surat and then just transfer through Delhi without leaving the terminal.” This new system, which is still under study, would help India’s busiest airports operate like major global hubs, such as Dubai, Singapore, and Doha, where transitions between domestic and international flights are seamless. If implemented, it will reduce confusion, decrease waiting times, and make all types of transfers smoother.
The European Union’s EES (Entry/Exit System), launched in October, now uses digital border records for non-EU visitors. Instead of a passport stamp, travellers provide facial or fingerprint biometrics upon first entry.
On subsequent visits, travellers only need to verify their identity, making the process easier. The system is currently in a six-month transition period and is expected to be fully operational by April 2026.
IndiGo has started direct flights from Mumbai to Manchester and Amsterdam, and soon begin direct flights to London and Copenhagen. This makes it the first Indian budget airline to fly directly to big European cities, ending Air India’s monopoly on these routes. It’s a big step for affordable long-distance travel from India.
People travelling to the United States now face new visa rules. As of June 2025, students and exchange visitors must keep their social media accounts public for security checks. There is also a new USD 250 visa integrity fee for countries not in the Visa Waiver Program, including India. This means the average visa cost for Indian applicants is now about USD 473.473.
Indian passport holders can now visit Palau without a visa for up to 30 days and travel to the Philippines visa-free as tourists for up to 14 days. These new options make island-hopping easier.
If you travel often and are tired of long lines, India’s Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) could make a big difference. It is now available at 13 airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. The programme allows eligible Indian citizens and OCI cardholders to use e-gates with biometric authentication. To sign up, you give your fingerprints, facial scan, and some basic details. After approval, you can use special lanes to get through much faster.