Qantas and Jetstar are expanding its international network out of Sydney this year, with new direct flights to India and Korea.
From September 14, Qantas' widebody Airbus A330 aircraft will fly four weekly return flights from Sydney to Bangalore.
These will be the first nonstop flights between Australia and southern India, shaving nearly three hours off the current quickest flight time between Sydney and Bengaluru.
Qantas will operate up to five weekly flights between Melbourne and Delhi.
Qantas is to sign a codeshare deal with IndiGo, India's largest domestic carrier, that would provide customers with enhanced one-stop connectivity to more than 50 Indian cities.
Customers of Jetstar will be able to book connecting flights on IndiGo services using the Jetstar Connect platform on jetstar.com beginning in late April.
Later this year, both Qantas and Jetstar will begin direct flights to Seoul's Incheon International Airport.
The Boeing 787-8 will be used by Jetstar for their three-times-weekly Sydney to Seoul service, which will begin on November 2, 2022.
The new routes, according to Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, would boost the tourist sector in New South Wales in its recovery from COVID.
“Sydney is one of the world’s truly global cities and these new direct flights to India and Korea will make it easier for millions of people to come here. It’s clear that Australia is back on the map for international travellers. Demand for our international flights has rebounded since borders reopened, and that’s giving us the confidence to launch these new routes together with the marketing support from Destination New South Wales. The signing of the Australia-India free trade agreement is a driver of travel demand as trade and investment links expand between Australia and India’s population of more than one billion people.”
