Indian Airlines, India’s largest airline which will commence services to Australia from five cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Bangalore via Singapore has chosen Melbourne as its only port in Australia.
The first flight from New Delhi is due to arrive on November 1 and the flights from other cities are scheduled to begin by January 2008.
Industry Minister Theo Theophanous said that Indian Airlines choice of Melbourne as its sole Australian destination will boost employment in Victoria, with the decision also reflecting the growing relationship the state has with India.
29,000 Indians visited Victoria last year, with Victoria’s Tourism Minister Tim Holding saying in The Age that India’s one billion residents, particularly the large middle-class, were an increasingly important visitor market for the state, the second largest travel market in Asia after China and one of the region’s fastest growing markets.
He also said, “Indian Airlines will give Victoria an edge in marketing initiatives for next summer’s cricket between Australia and India, as well as programs to develop education and business tourism.”
Report by The Mole
