Qantas is optimistic about its expansion in India, driven by robust economic factors and a surge in inbound travel to Australia.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace told Businessline.
“We are quite ambitious about the future of travel between Australia and India. It is a small part of the network with about 3 per cent of the capacity but obviously economic fundamentals in the market are really compelling for us. So we are going to invest more in the market.”
Last month, Qantas announced additional services from Sydney to Bengaluru in its winter schedule, adding over 12,000 seats over four months between December and March. Additionally, Qantas will operate thrice-weekly flights between Melbourne and Delhi.
Wallace highlighted that the new flights to India offer a significant opportunity for inbound travel to Australia.
“We can potentially look at ways and means to expand the relationship with IndiGo. They are a good partner for us…India is an emerging market and we have a lot of confidence in it.”
While Air India and Qantas operate non-stop flights, about 70 per cent of the traffic between India and Australia travels via hubs like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
Australian airports are also keen on enhancing direct connectivity with India. Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus has earlier said:
“I think the opportunity for India is extraordinary. Post Covid-19 pandemic we have seen 330 per cent growth on direct services between Melbourne and India.”
Indian tourist arrivals in Australia have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with over 410,000 visitors in the twelve months ending March. India emerged as the fifth largest source market for Tourism Australia by March-end, climbing two places from seventh position in 2019.
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