In a big blow for travel to India, the country’s national airline has decided to scale back its year-round Melbourne-Mumbai route just 16 months after launching the service.
Air India will suspend flights between the Victorian and Maharashtra capitals from 30 March to 13 September 2025, at which point the service will shift to a seasonal route.
The flag carrier linked Melbourne to Mumbai for the first time on 15 December 2023, with a three-times-weekly service using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
The shake-up means Australia will no longer have nonstop flights to India’s largest city, a shock given the size of the Indian diaspora across Australia and the massive VFR (visiting friends and relatives) market for the Subcontinent. Then there are implications for two-way tourism, business and student travel.
However, the airline still operates nonstop flights from Melbourne and Sydney to Delhi, while Qantas also offers nonstop flights to Delhi and Bengaluru.
Melbourne Airport confirmed the route change to Karryon. It understands the pause is due to some of Air India’s aircraft undergoing long-term maintenance. There will be no impact on the daily Delhi flight, it added.
Without the direct connection, Mumbai-bound Aussies will now need to travel via the Indian capital or through Southeast Asian hubs like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur or the Gulf.
Karryon has contacted Air India for comment.
At the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific 2024 in September, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the carrier is preparing to expand its Aussie operations, with more flights and an ambitious transformation.
In the two years to September, Campbell said the airline had increased its weekly flights to Australia by 113%, boosting seat capacity by 50%.
