Air India commences services to Sydney and Melbourne from August 29
July 2, 2013. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell today welcomed news that Air India will offer new daily services to Sydney, saying it will generate substantial visitor growth to Sydney and NSW directly from New Delhi ”“ India’s second largest city.
The new route was secured by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Sydney Airport and Tourism Australia, with a marketing agreement which will see the Air India service to Sydney promoted in India.
“India is a very important market for NSW and I am very pleased to welcome and support the new Air India service to Sydney,” Mr O’Farrell said.
“Visitors from India are choosing Sydney and NSW as their holiday destination for many reasons ”“ whether it’s visiting our spectacular natural attractions, tasting our delicious local produce, or seeing world class sporting and cultural events and festivals.”
“This new Air India service will make getting to Sydney and NSW even easier, meaning we can welcome even more visitors from India.”
“Increasing trade between NSW and India is a key priority of the NSW Government ”“ which is why each year I lead a trade and investment mission to the country.”
The new route will see Air India fly a daily triangulated service from Delhi to Australia via Sydney (and Melbourne alternately). Services are expected to commence on 29 August.
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events George Souris said boosting international tourism numbers is great news for the local economy.
“Since 2008, visitor numbers from India to NSW have increased by over a third ”“ with holiday makers, international students and those visiting friends and families making Sydney and NSW their destination.
“This new service to Sydney will provide a new way for visitors to plan and book their next visit to Sydney.”
Sydney Airport CEO Kerrie Mather has also welcomed news of the new service.
“This is a great result for NSW and a great result for tourism. With more than 217,000 people of Indian decent living in Sydney alone, India is one of our largest unserved markets,” Ms Mather said.
As reported in SMH Indian estimates suggest the air traffic between India and Australia’s two largest cities is fairly evenly split. Civil aviation ministry figures quoted by The Economic Times say 125,000 passengers fly between Melbourne and India, against 130,000 to or from Sydney. The total number of passenger movements between the two countries is about 335,000 passengers a year.
Destination NSW will work with Air India to develop and deliver new marketing campaigns to support the launch of the new services in Delhi.
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