Melbourne Airport will welcome non-stop flights from Mumbai for the first time, with Air India confirming it will launch the groundbreaking route from December.
The airline confirmed today it will operate three flights
per week beginning on 15 December, with potential to increase as demand grows.
The new Mumbai service will be operated by Boeing 787-8
Dreamliner aircraft and will supplement Air India’s existing daily flights
between Melbourne and Delhi.
Last financial year Melbourne welcomed more Indian visitors
than any other Australian city with 433,000 Indian residents flying in and out
of Victoria’s international gateway in the 12 months to June.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the
announcement highlighted the benefits of open skies agreements.
“Australia and India have an open skies air services
agreement which has provided Air India the certainty they need to efficiently
announce, put on sale and launch these new flights without the uncertainty
associated with bilateral agreements,” he said.
“Open Skies and liberal bilateral agreements provide
airlines with the certainty they need to add flights and respond to trends as
demand for passenger and cargo increases.
“In recent months Melbourne Airport has seen record numbers
of Indian visitors travelling through the terminals, and this new service will
make it even easier for families to reconnect or for tourists and students to
explore our great state.
“Melbourne is home to Australia’s largest Indian population
and shares significant cultural ties, which makes it the obvious gateway for
travellers from the subcontinent wanting to explore Victoria and beyond,” he
said.
“Our data shows that as India’s financial capital, Mumbai is
currently Melbourne’s largest international market without non-stop flights, so
we expect this service to be very popular in both directions.”
Air India’s flights from Melbourne to Mumbai will depart at 8pm
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