MUMBAI/MELBOURNE, 15 December 2023: A first-ever non-stop Air India flight from Mumbai to Melbourne was inaugurated today with fanfare, a big relief for those struggling at stop over transit crowded airports laced with lots of expenses. This is a fight likely to be as popular as the non-stop flights between Melbourne-New Delhi. There was celebration and smiles as Air India staff and passengers posed for photographs, as the airline expanded its global route network.
Air India is operating three times a week between Mumbai and Melbourne which started on 15 December 2023, becoming the only non-stop operator between Mumbai and Australia currently. Promotional fares start from INR 48,999 per person Economy return.
“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,” an Air India media release says.
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.
Flights are on sale on Air India’s website (www.airindia.com), mobile app, and through travel agents worldwide. 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.
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.”
