Qantas plans more flights to India

Qantas and low-cost sibling Jetstar plan to spread their wings across India, with new and upgraded jets unlocking direct flights between Australia and the subcontinent.

“We’re making good returns on India,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace, with the airline already flying Sydney-Bengaluru and Melbourne-Delhi.

“But we probably haven’t got the right aircraft type and configuration for the range.”

Those 12-13 hour flights are currently flown by an Airbus A330, “but (Boeing) 787s will get freed up as we bring in the A350s”, Wallace told Executive Traveller on the sidelines of the FACTS travel conference in Sydney.

Qantas has placed orders for a dozen Airbus A350-1000 jets, set to arrive from 2027-2028 alongside a dozen Boeing 787s and replace the aging A330s.

Wallace also believes Perth will see direct flights to India on the single-aisle Airbus A321XLRs, which will be fitted with lie-flat business class beds from 2028, ahead of Qantas’ 2031 relocation to Perth’s Airport Central precinct.

“The XLR does open it up from Perth,” Wallace said, adding “Perth-India is another market that, over time, we’ll definitely serve.”

Qantas sees the A321XLR jets as an ideal fit for Perth-India.

“India is a medium- to long-term proposition for us as the fleet renews,” Wallace expanded.

“We’re obviously there at the moment… we have a strong connecting relationship with IndiGo, and they’re a fast growing partner in India, so we have quite significant medium- to long-term aspirations for India.”

“As we go through fleet renewal, you should expect us to deploy more capital and more productive capital into that market.”

“We’re becoming more pragmatic about moving our capital because it’s a precious asset that we need to deploy.”

Other Asian cities will also be connected to Perth using the long-range XLRs.

“We’re pretty motivated and encouraged with what Perth can be when the airport redevelopment comes to life.”

The new Qantas and Jetstar terminal at Perth's Airport Central precinct will open by 2031.

Jetstar is also likely to begin direct flights to India on its upgraded Boeing 787s, which will take to the skies from early 2026.

These include new business and economy seats, Wi-Fi and, most crucially, a dedicated crew rest area which will enable flights up to the Dreamliner’s full 16-hour range.

“The new crew rest areas mean our crew will be able to get the rest they need to operate longer flights, unlocking the possibility of exciting new destinations like Sri Lanka and India,” Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully has noted.

India is a likely starter for Jetstar's extended-range Boeing 787s.

Wallace said India and Asia would continue to see both Qantas and Jetstar sharing routes according to their respective strengths. 

“We think there’s a dual-brand approach we can take,” Wallace told Executive Traveller.

“There will probably be some markets that Jetstar can serve, and some that (Qantas) can serve.”

Wallace described the “really strong collaboration” between Qantas and Jetstar as a plus for both airlines.

“There’s a great deal of thought that goes into network design and how we build complementary networks,” in which Jetstar “provides a really good platform for us to capture low-fare, price-sensitive demand.”

Also read: Qantas launches Economy Plus seats