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NEW DELHI: Direct connectivity between India and Australia has got a big boost post Covid with the number set to at least triple from eight weekly by Air India alone in 2019 to about 25 this December by AI and Qantas. The Tata Group airline on Tuesday announced a thrice-weekly nonstop between Mumbai and Melbourne from December 15, the only nonstop from the financial capital of India to Down Under.
Tourism Australiacountry manager (India and Gulf) Nishant Kashikar said: “The additional capacity will further help the India inbound market reach it’s potential for Australia which was Australia’s fastest growing inbound market pre-pandemic and the first market to recover to pre-Covid visitor arrivals levels.Of interest, in the year ended Jun 2023 Air India’s passenger mix was split 60%/40% Indian residents which is in favour carrying visitors on the inbound Australia direction (rather than Australians returning).”
“Pre-pandemic there were just eight direct flights per week (FPW) operated by Air India to Australia (5 Sydney & 3 Melbourne). Post-pandemic services have so far peaked at 22 FPW with Air India operating daily on Sydney and Melbourne and Qantas commencing 3-4 FPW from Delhi-Melbourne and 4 FPW Bengaluru-Sydney. Air India’s announcement on Mumbai-Melbourne today adds another 3 FPW, or 40,000 passengers per year; this is the first time this route has been operated in over 40+ years,” Kashikar says.
Australia has now started issuing multiple entry business visas with a validity of five years, instead of three earlier, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the continent this summer and enhanced trade ties between the two countries. This change has come under the “mobility and migration agreement,” while visitor visa (tourist stream) remains at three years. Australia has further streamlined its visa application process here as India is now the fastest growing inbound market for it and the first to exceed 2019 visitation levels, Tourism Australia had told TOI recently.
“Australia saw 3.7 lakh visitors from India in June 2022-May 2023, over 2% more than same period of pre-Covid 2018-19. May 2023 saw 41,300 from India which is the highest ever number in a month since reopening of Australian borders. Now India is the fourth largest inbound market for arrivals while pre-Covid it was at the seventh rank,” Kashikar had said.
Indians are also splurging more than ever down under. According to Tourism Australia, Indians spent almost 2 billion Australian dollar (Rs 11,000 crore) in the year ended March 2023 — 16% more than same period in 2018-19. India is now the fifth largest source market in terms of overseas visitor spend at Rs 3.2-3.5 lakh per trip. Pre-Covid, Indians were the sixth biggest spenders here.
Interestingly, AI is pitching its between Delhi/Mumbai and Melbourne as providing connection to/from London Heathrow. “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,” AI said in a statement.
AI chief commercial and transformation officer Nipun Aggarwal said: “We look forward to launching the only non-stop flight between Mumbai and Melbourne. 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.”
“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,” AI said in a statement.
Tourism Australiacountry manager (India and Gulf) Nishant Kashikar said: “The additional capacity will further help the India inbound market reach it’s potential for Australia which was Australia’s fastest growing inbound market pre-pandemic and the first market to recover to pre-Covid visitor arrivals levels.Of interest, in the year ended Jun 2023 Air India’s passenger mix was split 60%/40% Indian residents which is in favour carrying visitors on the inbound Australia direction (rather than Australians returning).”
“Pre-pandemic there were just eight direct flights per week (FPW) operated by Air India to Australia (5 Sydney & 3 Melbourne). Post-pandemic services have so far peaked at 22 FPW with Air India operating daily on Sydney and Melbourne and Qantas commencing 3-4 FPW from Delhi-Melbourne and 4 FPW Bengaluru-Sydney. Air India’s announcement on Mumbai-Melbourne today adds another 3 FPW, or 40,000 passengers per year; this is the first time this route has been operated in over 40+ years,” Kashikar says.
Australia has now started issuing multiple entry business visas with a validity of five years, instead of three earlier, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the continent this summer and enhanced trade ties between the two countries. This change has come under the “mobility and migration agreement,” while visitor visa (tourist stream) remains at three years. Australia has further streamlined its visa application process here as India is now the fastest growing inbound market for it and the first to exceed 2019 visitation levels, Tourism Australia had told TOI recently.
“Australia saw 3.7 lakh visitors from India in June 2022-May 2023, over 2% more than same period of pre-Covid 2018-19. May 2023 saw 41,300 from India which is the highest ever number in a month since reopening of Australian borders. Now India is the fourth largest inbound market for arrivals while pre-Covid it was at the seventh rank,” Kashikar had said.
Indians are also splurging more than ever down under. According to Tourism Australia, Indians spent almost 2 billion Australian dollar (Rs 11,000 crore) in the year ended March 2023 — 16% more than same period in 2018-19. India is now the fifth largest source market in terms of overseas visitor spend at Rs 3.2-3.5 lakh per trip. Pre-Covid, Indians were the sixth biggest spenders here.
Interestingly, AI is pitching its between Delhi/Mumbai and Melbourne as providing connection to/from London Heathrow. “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,” AI said in a statement.
AI chief commercial and transformation officer Nipun Aggarwal said: “We look forward to launching the only non-stop flight between Mumbai and Melbourne. 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.”
“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,” AI said in a statement.
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