Western Australia is eyeing up flights to India, which we could see in the near future. The region’s largest-ever business delegation is currently on a multi-city visit to the subcontinent to discuss trade relations, and direct flights to Perth have been brought to the table.
Air India or IndiGo are Potential Candidates
The business delegation is being led by the Deputy Premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook, who said the group was discussing the possibility of direct flights to Perth. “We are going to have meetings with a range of companies. The Tatas, who are a major aviation company in India… We are looking forward to sitting down with them and explore[sic] the opportunities of direct flights between India and Perth, Western Australia,” He told BusinessLine in an interview.
The Tatas recently acquired Air India, which already operates direct flights to Sydney and Melbourne. “The other company is IndiGo”, Cook added. IndiGo’s aircraft don’t have the range capabilities for a direct flight between the two regions, though the airline could be included in partnership deals.
Indian-Australian Flight Connections
Indian passengers who want to fly to Perth currently have two options. They can either take a connecting flight in Singapore, or they can fly to Melbourne or Sydney, travelling onwards to Western Australia via land or air. The former costs around ₹66,000 (~£700), and the latter will set you back ₹96,000 (~£1000) plus the cost of travelling across Australia. A direct flight to Perth is expected to increase tourist activity and boost regional trade.
Routes between Australia and India have shown much potential in recent years, with airlines starting new routes between the two nations. In 2021 Qantas resumed flights to the subcontinent for the first time in 10 years, possibly persuaded by the favourable numbers Air India was getting on its flights between Sydney and Melbourne, moving more than 182,000 passengers between the two countries in 2019.
Whilst Melbourne and Sydney are well connected, Perth is often forgotten about, but there is good reason for it to have better connections with India. India is Western Australia’s largest Market for International Students, accounting for 20% of enrollments in 2021. With more than 700,000 Indians residing in Australia, hopefully, we can begin to see more routes open up in the coming years.
What are your thoughts on India connecting with Perth? Let us know in the comments below!
We need a weekly flight to Kochi as well. Because plenty of keralites need a direct flight weekly. It will be profitable.