QANTAS: Sydney and Melbourne to Delhi, India starts

Qantas is flying for the first time ever to Delhi from Melbourne. Flights from Melbourne start tomorrow (22 December) to Delhi, India, and from Sydney, already on sale, also start on 6 December, bur regularly from 14 December. One or two stop flights at realistic prices from Sydney seem to start around 21 December

Good news, however, the route’s are odd because they are using A330’s to complete the flights:

• Melbourne – Delhi (QF69/QF70), will run 4 times a week, all year, but initially via Adelaide (?), departures on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 09:25, 90 minutes in Adelaide, and then 18:10 arrival in Delhi. The return flight to Melbourne will be non-stop, departure 19:55, Melbourne arrival 13:35 the next day
• Sydney – Delhi (QF67/QF68) – 3 times a week but building to daily by end of 2021, fly via Darwin on the way out, and direct on the return. Departure is at 06:05, 90 minutes in Darwin, arriving Delhi 15:35. Return 18:00 departure and 11:45 next day arrival in Sydney.

Those A330’s have 28 business lie-flat business class seats and 269 economy seats

Melbourne returns to International

Qantas Melbourne-London flights return on 27 November and Melbourne-Los Angeles from 19 December 2021.

Business-class and premium status flyers will enjoy the Qantas First lounge, prior to the reopening of the Business lounge later.

Only for the Vaccinated

Remember you need to be double vaccinated for all these flights, plus there are some other procedures which you can check here at the Qantas website.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Fantastic news for those Australians with north Asian heritage. I’m not so sure, I would be eager to travel to India with their current vaccination rates. On the other hand, its been 7 long years since my last visit to this fascinating country.