(IBNS): Australia’s national airline Qantas will fly non-stop from Bengaluru to Sydney and is finalising a codeshare partnership with IndiGo to make travel between India and Australia easier.
From 14 September, Qantas will operate four weekly return flights between Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport with its widebody Airbus A330 aircraft.
These are the first direct flights between Australia and southern India by any airline, cutting almost three hours off the current fastest trip between Bengaluru and Sydney.
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The Bengaluru community has strong connections with Australia for both business travel and people visiting friends and relatives. Famous for its beautiful beaches and iconic landmarks the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Sydney is one of the world’s most iconic cities.
The new route is being supported by Bengaluru’s award-winning Kempegowda International Airport.
Qantas will continue to operate up to five flights a week between Melbourne and Delhi, making it the only airline offering direct flights between both northern and southern India and Australia.
Travellers are also set to benefit from improved one-stop access to Sydney from more than 50 Indian cities, as part of a proposed codeshare agreement between Qantas and IndiGo.
Once finalised, customers will have more convenient access from not only the major Indian cities, but many popular regional cities such as Pune and Goa.
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The proposed codeshare agreement will enable seamless connections via Bengaluru, Delhi, or Singapore into Australia’s largest capital cities.
Qantas is Australia’s leading premium airline, with all customers receiving complimentary food, drinks, baggage, and inflight entertainment.
As part of the proposed agreement, customers who join the Qantas Frequent Flyer program will be able to earn and redeem points on connecting IndiGo flights (QF code only) and IndiGo will recognise Qantas Frequent Flyer benefits for tiered members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One) including priority check-in, additional baggage allowance and priority baggage.
Qantas customers travelling on IndiGo will enjoy the same baggage allowance for the entire journey as well as complimentary food and drinks.
The partnership will extend to Jetstar customers who will be able to book connecting flights on IndiGo services through its Jetstar Connect platform on jetstar.com, currently intended to start from late April.
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IndiGo will introduce reciprocal benefits for its customers to connect on Qantas and Jetstar in the future.
Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo:“We are pleased to announce our proposed codeshare partnership with Australia’s flag carrier, Qantas Airways under Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.”
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said demand for direct flights between Australia and India had grown steadily since both countries reopened their borders.
“For the first time southern India will have a direct connection to Australia, which will make travel between the two countries more convenient and much faster for customers,” Joyce said.
