A planned codeshare agreement with IndiGo will provide direct connections to 50 cities across India.

Qantas and Jetstar have flagged the launch of new routes from Sydney to India and South Korea later this year, aiding the recovery of New South Wales’ tourism sector. Qantas will operate four weekly return flights from Sydney to Bangalore from September 14, using its widebody Airbus A330 aircraft. These will be the first nonstop flights between Australia and southern India by any airline and will cut nearly three hours off the current fastest travel time. Qantas will continue to operate up to five flights a week between Melbourne and Delhi, making it the only airline offering direct flights between Australia and both northern and southern India.

The Australian flag carrier also plans to enter into a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline, which will give customers improved one-stop access to more than 50 Indian cities. The proposed agreement will allow passengers to transit seamlessly from Qantas flights in Bengaluru, Delhi, or Singapore onto IndiGo services to other Indian destinations such as Pune and Goa.

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 from late April.

Also in the pipeline are direct flights to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport operated by Qantas and Jetstar. The latter will become the only low-cost carrier to fly nonstop to South Korea from Sydney, deploying Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on the route three times a week from November 2. Qantas will then begin flights between Sydney and Seoul from December 10 with its A330 aircraft, marking the first Qantas scheduled service to Seoul since January 2008.

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