Qantas will resume regular flights to India after almost a decade, with Sydney-Delhi flights to commence on 6 December 2021. The route will initially operate 3x weekly, increasing to daily by the end of the year.
Flight QF67 will operate from Sydney to Delhi via Darwin, while the return service QF68 will fly non-stop from Delhi to Sydney. The flights will be operated by Airbus A330-200s with Business and Economy Class available.
Here’s the schedule for the new Qantas Sydney-Delhi flights:
- QF67 Sydney 06:05 – Darwin 09:00/10:20 – Delhi 15:35 (15 hours)
- QF68 Delhi 18:00 – Sydney 11:45+1 (12 hours, 15 minutes)
The stop in Darwin is likely required because the Airbus A330-200 lacks the range to fly Sydney-Delhi non-stop with a full payload. Passengers will be able to board the flight in Darwin. The A330-200 is able to return from Delhi to Sydney without stopping due to the tailwinds when flying in that direction.
Qantas says the new flights to Delhi will operate until at least the end of March, but would continue if there is sufficient demand.
These will soon be the only direct flights operating between Australia and India. Prior to COVID-19, Air India was the only airline flying non-stop between the two countries with regular Sydney-Delhi and Melbourne-Delhi flights. But Air India suspended its services to Australia during the pandemic and has not yet announced when it will restart these flights.
“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,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said.
Qantas has operated numerous repatriation flights from India to Darwin on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) during the pandemic. But these flights were not available for sale to the general public.
Qantas also announced today that it is bringing forward the resumption of international flights to Singapore, Fiji, South Africa and Thailand. The airline is also in discussions with the Indonesian government about reopening quarantine-free travel to Bali for Australian tourists by Christmas.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas to fly Sydney-Delhi
