Air India, India’s leading global airline, on Tuesday announced it will be launching the first-ever non-stop services to Melbourne in Australia from Mumbai, as it expands its global route network.
Air India will operate three times a week between Mumbai and Melbourne starting December 15, 2023, becoming the only non-stop operator between Mumbai and Australia currently.
The new Mumbai-Melbourne services will add nearly 40,000 seats per year into the Australian state of Victoria, where the Indian community is estimated at over 200,000, constituting about 40% of the total Indian diaspora in Australia. The new services aim to respond to the growing demand to visit friends and relatives as well as to capture demand for business and leisure travel to the region, the airlines said in a release.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer, Air India, said: “This is a great step forward in our ongoing transformation programme, which among other aspects aims at connecting India to more of the world with non-stop flights. We are excited to showcase the positively changing Air India flying experience to travellers on this route, of which great Indian hospitality will remain a cornerstone.”
Natalie Hutchins, Minister for Jobs and Industry, Victoria State Government, Australia, said: “This new route will boost tourism, create local jobs and open more pathways for Victorian businesses to reach one of the world’s fastest growing economies.”
Travellers from 17 Indian cities can take convenient, one-stop connections to and from Melbourne via Delhi or Mumbai. The new Mumbai-Melbourne route further enables seamless two-way connectivity between London Heathrow and Melbourne via Delhi and Mumbai.
The flights on the Mumbai-Melbourne route will be operated by Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, featuring 18 flat beds in Business Class and 238 spacious seats in Economy.
Promotional all-inclusive, round-trip fares start from INR 48,999 in Economy.
Air India currently operates daily flights to Melbourne and Sydney from its home in Delhi, flying 28 times every week between India and Australia.
