Air India to launch Delhi-Melbourne flight as it eyes Sydney service

[Jarden S]

Air India has set 28 June as the new start date of a daily Delhi-Melbourne service, which will be the only direct flight between the two countries, after a much on-and-off again experience with the route owning to a wavering Indian government.

The carrier tells Flightglobal's Air Transport Intelligence that it is now evaluating a service to Sydney. "Air India is planning to add more international destinations to its operations. In Australia, the other destination being looked at is Sydney," a company spokesman says.

The carrier had planned to start the Melbourne route last October but then canceled it. This February it received traffic rights.

Although the carrier has not specified its exact schedule or what equipment it will be using, it is understood Air India will be operating the 777-300ER to Melbourne airport, who says it is the right Australian city for Air India to serve.

"Over the last three years, there has been an average annual growth rate of 14% in visitors from India to Victoria, and Air India, by choosing Melbourne as their base, have seized this market opportunity," Melbourne airport chief executive Chris Woodruff says.

"Over the last decade, the Melbourne Indian community is also the fastest growing Indian community in Australia. This means significant travel by family and friends, demonstrated by 25 percent growth in 2010 from this segment of the Melbourne-India market."

Last month Air India petitioned is government to block other Indian carriers, such as Jet Airways and Kingfihser, to serve Melbourne so that the country's flag carrier could "settle down on the route", as one paper described. It is not known if India's aviation ministry approved the request.

Qantas operates a one-stop service to Mumbai via Singapore. It previously operated a direct flight to Mumbai but canceled it in 2008. Virgin Blue has said it intends to forge links with India as part of its forthcoming Asian network comprising direct flights and partnerships.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/wi...y-finally.html

On again off again will it happen this time...

[Matt_L]

Ha!

I'll believe it when I see it.. As you say on off they literally just abruptly announced they wouldn't fly to mel days before the launch flight. Pretty unreliable as are alot from that region.. Big plans it seems but not much action !

[Oliver Gigacz]

New details...

Air India to deploy 787 to Melbourne from October

Melbourne will be the first Australian city to receive scheduled 787 service when Air India deploys the aircraft on its new Delhi-Melbourne route in October.

"Direct flights to Australia are the top priority for us. The route will be profitable for Air India and is a key ingredient of the turnaround plan," an Air India official told Calcutta's The Telegraph.

Air India's eagerness is contrasted by Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan, who told the Australian this week that direct flights to India were a decade away.

Air India is also plans to deploy the 259-seat 787, in an undisclosed configuration, on North American routes.

The article says "plans are in place" for daily flights to Melbourne from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai, but it is not clear what the operational routing of the flight will be. Some international Air India routes have tag-on services to other domestic ports.

Air India over its saga of trying to serve Melbourne has mooted using Airbus A330 and, more recently, 777-300ER equipment. The 787 offers cost advantages over older aircraft, although with the aircraft overweight the exact advantage percentage is unknown. Deploying the 787 could suggest Air India needs the aircraft to achieve sufficient economics on the route.

Air India has 27 787 aircraft on order. This week Boeing brought a test aircraft to India for demonstration purposes.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/wi...m-october.html

[Jason H]

Definitely going to make a day trip to Melbourne when this starts.

[Brenden S]

Umm were getting towards the end of July now, well middle anyway and even ANA have not yet got their first 787.

[Jayden Laing]

Nothing wrong with Air India trying to remain optimistic Brendan.

[Kieran Wells]

When i was in seattle mid may, i reckon once the first 787 is delivered, you will see the first 10 or so pump out pretty much straight away. I saw an abundance of ANA, JAL and Air India sitting there, and a China Southern all almost ready and painted to go.... Of course, i can't really say what the interiors were like though. OH, and well the test program ended up in Japan and India this week. Lets hope they all got everything sorted. Would be a shame to see more delays, because airports and carriers weren't ready for them!

[Matt_L]

Air India's said numerous times the MEL service is a priority (for at least 18 months now) yet they had a launch which was aborted (almost with no announcements when most of us spotters still thought it would arrive late last year )

I will be glad to see them come (if indeed they do), I just think an announcement so prematurely- as Brenden says without a firm timetable on when they will recieve their 787s is not to be taken too seriously!

[Arjun M]

This i'm looking forward to. Hopefully ml gets fogged and they divert here

[Bernie P]

Sorry for dragging this thread back up, but there's been a development... (waiting with baited breath until it happens...)

NEW DELHI: Air India is likely to launch its Delhi-Melbourne flight later this year when the national carrier will acquire new Boeing 787 aircraft.

"Air India has proposed to launch direct services to Australia from Delhi commencing from about the third quarter of 2012-13, using the Boeing 787 aircraft, which are expected to be inducted in May this year," a Civil Aviation Ministry official said.

When these services are in place, Air India would be the only carrier serving the India-Australia market non-stop, he said.

Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, who is leading an Australian business delegation to India, met Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh today and discussed the proposed launch of direct air services by Air India from New Delhi to Melbourne.

"With sizable Indian population residing in Melbourne, a Delhi-Melbourne direct Air India flight would be in their larger interest and also in the business interest of the two countries," Baillieu said during the meeting.

The non-stop services to Australia would be a cash positive venture after getting various concessions from the Government of Victoria and New South Wales, and AI will operate at over 75 per cent passenger load factor on an average round the year, the AI official said.

Air India is holding fresh negotiations with the governments of Victoria and New South Wales as well as the Airport Authority at Sydney and Melbourne to seek further concessions to make the direct flights cost effective, he said, adding that Baillieu has assured AI for all support in this regard.

According to an estimate, the annual air traffic between India and Melbourne and Sydney is between 1,25,000 and 1,30,000 each. The total number of people moving between India and Australia has been estimated at about 3,35,000 passengers per annum.

Source: - The Economic Times