Travelling between Australia and India just got easier, thanks to a new codeshare agreement between Air India and Virgin Australia.
Under the unilateral partnership, Virgin Australia will place its VA code on Air India-operated flights, allowing seamless connections from Melbourne and Sydney to Delhi and onwards within India and beyond.
Conversely, Air India can place its ‘AI’ code on Virgin services, with onward travel to 16 destinations across Australia and New Zealand.
The 16 Aussie and Kiwi ports include Adelaide, Ballina/Byron Bay, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Queenstown (New Zealand), Sunshine Coast and Sydney.
Passengers on a single ticket will also have their baggage checked through to their final destination in both directions, which means no more re-checking bags during layovers (and who doesn’t love that?).
The first codeshare flights commence today (18 February 2025).
Air India currently operates 14 non-stop weekly flights between Delhi and Australia using its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which boasts 18 flat-bed business class seats and 238 economy seats.
“We are pleased to partner with Air India to make it easier for their customers to explore everything Australia has to offer,” Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Alistair Hartley said.
“India is a growing tourism market for Australia and this partnership will encourage travellers arriving on one of Air India’s 14 weekly flights to explore more of our wonderful country thanks to seamless onward connections on the Virgin Australia network.”
Air India Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal called Australia “one of Air India’s most important international markets”.
“So it is incredibly exciting for us to be partnering with Virgin Australia to expand our presence in the region,” he added.
“While the partnership provides greater ease and access for the large Indian diaspora spread across the continent, it also opens up a whole new range of destinations for holidaymakers wanting to soak up the beaches of Gold Coast, discover Tasmania or to explore the natural wonders of The Great Barrier Reef.”
AI in AU
Speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific 2024 in Brisbane, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said the carrier was preparing to expand its Aussie operations, with more flights and an ambitious transformation that aims to elevate both service quality and network connectivity.
In the two years to September 2024, Campbell said the airline had increased its weekly flights to Australia by 113%, boosting seat capacity by 50%.
However, earlier this month, India’s national airline decided to scale back its year-round Melbourne-Mumbai route just 16 months after launching the service.
