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Air India announces non-stop Mumbai-Melbourne route
This flight will be operated with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft and backed by Victoria’s state government.
Tata Group-owned Air India has announced that it will begin non-stop service between Mumbai, India's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM), and Melbourne, Australia's Tullamarine Airport (MEL) on December 15. The service will be offered three times weekly.
Announcing the route, Air India said on social media platform X, “Fly to Australia non-stop, like never before! The first-ever Mumbai x Melbourne non-stop flights will be taking off 3x weekly starting from 15th December 2023.”
Victoria, Australia, is home to an estimated 200,000 Indians, or roughly 40 percent of Australia's total Indian diaspora, and the state government has backed a new service between Mumbai and Melbourne that will add nearly 40,000 seats per year. The purpose of the expanded services is to accommodate the growing number of visitors who come to the area for both business and pleasure, as well as to spend time with friends and relatives.
Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, with 18 flat beds in Business Class and 238 seats in Economy, will service the Mumbai–Melbourne route. Air India previously operated a short hop service to Melbourne in 1981, however this is the first time the BOM-MEL route will be non-stop.
The Labor Government of Victoria estimates that the annual economic impact of Air India flights to the state will be $55 million, with 264 new jobs created in the aviation and tourism sectors. The previous year, Victoria welcomed 149,000 Indian visitors.
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