Australia’s largest airline and its flag-carrier, Qantas has announced that it plans to commence direct flights to India almost after a decade from December 6. However, the decision is subject to the Indian government’s necessary approval, it said. The airline in a tweet informed that it will commence service on the Sydney-Delhi route via Darwin, while flights from Delhi to Sydney would operate non-stop.

“Hello Delhi! For the first time in almost a decade, we’re flying direct to India. Flights from Sydney to Delhi take off before Christmas,” a tweet posted by Qantas recently stated.

“Qantas plans to launch a new route from Sydney to Delhi starting December 6 with three return flights per week with its A330 aircraft, building to daily flights by end of the year. This is subject to discussions with Indian authorities to finalise necessary approvals. The flights would initially operate until at least late March 2022, with a view to continuing if there is sufficient demand,” Qantas said in a statement.

Commenting on starting flights services to India, Alan Joyce, Group CEO, Qantas said, “Given the strong ties between Australia and India, flights between Sydney and Delhi have been on our radar for some time, and we think there will be strong demand from family and friends wanting to reconnect once borders open. While these flights will initially be for Australians and their families, we expect tourists from Singapore, South Africa, and India to take advantage of these flights once borders reopen to international visitors, which is great news for the industry.”