The new route will commence on 14 September and will be serviced by its widebody Airbus A330 aircraft, the Australian airline announced.
These will be the first direct flights between Australia and southern India by any airline and will cut almost three hours off the current fastest travel time from Sydney to Bengaluru.
Highlights:
- Qantas announces a new direct flight route from Sydney to the southern city of Bengaluru from 14 September; Tickets are on sale as of 8 April
- Qantas will continue to operate up to five flights a week between Melbourne and Delhi
- Qantas plans to enter into a codeshare agreement with India's domestic airlines IndiGo
Currently, Qantas operates up to five flights a week between Melbourne and Delhi.
Qantas said the new route made the airline the only airline offering direct flights between Australia and both northern and southern India.
"With a population of 13 million people, the Bengaluru community has strong connections to Australia for both business travel and people visiting friends and relatives. These trade connections are expected to strengthen following the recent announcement of the Australia-India free trade agreement," Qantas said in a statement.
Qantas also said it plans to enter into a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, which will give customers improved one-stop access to more than 50 Indian cities.
An airline pilot (left) is seen walking with his luggage at the Qantas arrivals terminal at Sydney Domestic Airport in Sydney. Source: (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)
"The proposed agreement will mean Qantas passengers can transit seamlessly from Qantas flights in Bengaluru, Delhi, or Singapore onto IndiGo services to other major Indian cities as well as smaller ones such as Pune and Goa," the Australian airline said.
Under the planned agreement, Qantas Frequent Flyers 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."
Making the announcement on Friday, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce CEO said: “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."
“Our new direct flights to Bengaluru, combined with the planned codeshare with IndiGo, have the potential to reshape the way many people travel between Australia and India."
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce Source: (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)
Bengaluru-born Nisha Antil and her husband Mukesh Antil frequently travel to the Indian city for family and professional reasons.
The couple is excited by the news.
Bengaluru-born Ms Nisha Antil with her husband Mukesh Antil who currently live in Australia. Source: Supplied by Nisha Antil
"Direct flights between Australia and Bengaluru will help so many people living here. It will save their time, energy and money too. It will save the inconvenience of multiple transitions. It is such a great development," Ms Antil, who currently lives in Melbourne, told SBS Hindi.
Australia reopened its international border to fully vaccinated international travellers in February, three months after Qantas' first flight from Melbourne to Delhi.
The airline had then said, "QF69 (to Delhi) was a sold-out flight, packed with passengers heading to India to reunite with their families and loved ones".
