Europe - Australia via India

[QF10]

With India well serviced by Lufthansa and BA and only one QF connection to Mumbai. Should lufthansa and BA consider flying to Australia via cities such as Chennia, Hydarabad or Bengaluru? Would it work?

Interested to hear your thoughts?

QF10

 

[docjames]

I'll go first. No. It wont work.

Very few ultra long haul flights with intermediate stops work now. If the market's not there currently for more direct India-Aus flights, funneling traffic from FRA or LHR wont really help - it doesnt really grow the Aus-EU/UKmarket, just cannibalises other routes (via Sin, Hkg and Bkk).

If QF or an Aus carrier could grow the inbound/outbound Aus-India market, in conjunction with an independant growth of UK.EU-India, there might be an opportunity for say LHR-BOm on BA connecting to BOM-MEL or similar on QF. But I just cant see any of these airlines taking the risk, and LH has no natural partner in Aus to make FRA-BOM-xx_ work.

$0.02 = mine.

 

[QF10]

I'll go first. No. It wont work.

Very few ultra long haul flights with intermediate stops work now. If the market's not there currently for more direct India-Aus flights, funneling traffic from FRA or LHR wont really help - it doesnt really grow the Aus-EU/UKmarket, just cannibalises other routes (via Sin, Hkg and Bkk).

If QF or an Aus carrier could grow the inbound/outbound Aus-India market, in conjunction with an independant growth of UK.EU-India, there might be an opportunity for say LHR-BOm on BA connecting to BOM-MEL or similar on QF. But I just cant see any of these airlines taking the risk, and LH has no natural partner in Aus to make FRA-BOM-xx_ work.

$0.02 = mine.

Surely it’s a question of supply and demand. Both LH and BA dominate their respective EU -India routes. Indian population has grown significantly in Australia.


In regards to cannibalise the other routes, that is a good reason why the EUR airlines may consider it, taking away income from South East Asian carriers and giving it to European carriers, while providing a non-stop Aus- India alternative which none of the SE Asian carrier could do.

 

[sr81]

I would be happy to explore the possibility of direct Aus-India flights. This is kinda like China.

QF has a very limited service into China yet China Southern is now almost triple daily into Melbourne. Unless capacity is given a chance then there is a perception of "no capacity".

 

[rechoboam]

My workplaces in Aus and the UK are dominated by Indian expats. I've always wondered why they have to take such circuitous routes to get home.