India-bound travellers offered new destinations, more flights under Qantas-IndiGo partnership

In an announcement made on 20 January, Qantas Airlines said it has further expanded its codeshare partnership with the Indian airline IndiGo. With the change, Qantas passengers will have more options when travelling to over 20 cities in India, including the same baggage allowance.

Scene at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India. Source: AP / Manish Swarup/AP/AAP Image

Key Points

• Last year, Australian carrier Qantas started direct flights on the Sydney-Benglauru route.
• Qantas also has a codeshare partnership with Indian carrier IndiGo.
• Qantas operates four return flights from Melbourne to Delhi per week and four return flights from Sydney to Bengaluru per week.

Australia's flag carrier and IndiGo launched the first phase of their codeshare agreement last year, giving customers easier access to 13 Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kochi.

In a media statement, Qantas said "Under the second phase of the agreement, Qantas customers can now travel to an additional eight cities, bringing the total number of Indian destinations available for connection from Delhi and Bengaluru to 21."

New codeshare destinations for Qantas passengers will include Guwahati, Indore, Chandigarh, Mangalore, Jaipur, Nagpur, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam.

"Qantas customers will also have more choice across IndiGo’s domestic network with more than 250 new flights available for booking," the statement added.

Qantas airlines rolls out second phase of codeshare agreement with Indian carrier Indigo. (Representative image) Source: AAP / JEREMY NG/AAPIMAGE

Furthermore, Qantas Frequent Flyers would be able to earn and redeem points on connecting IndiGo flights (with the QF code) and IndiGo recognises Qantas Frequent Flyer benefits for tiered members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One) including priority check-in and priority baggage.

Qantas customers travelling on IndiGo can carry the same baggage allowance as their flight from Australia as well as receiving complimentary food and drinks.

Qantas media statement

Qantas Chief Customer Officer, Markus Svensson said “Qantas’ new routes to India have proven to be incredibly popular with our customers."

“Our codeshare partnership with IndiGo has improved the way our customers travel between Australia and India, and the additional destinations give travellers even more options.

An Indigo aircraft at the Chennai International Airport. (Representative image) Source: EPA / IDREES MOHAMMED/EPA/AAP Image

“The new codeshare flights will allow our customers to enjoy more connections across India from our Delhi and Bengaluru gateways and have their luggage checked straight through to their final destination," he said.

“Our frequent flyers in particular benefit from booking these flights, with more opportunities to earn points and status credits," he added.

India has been a popular destination from the moment Australia re-opened its international border.

Flight Centre spokesperson told SBS Hindi "Given Australia's large Indian community, there's been a very steady flow of passengers visiting friends and relatives, but also holidaymakers."

Flight Centre outlet. (Representative image) Source: AAP / JAMES WORSFOLD/AAPIMAGE

"It's an expanded codeshare arrangement, as opposed to an increase in flights, so there will be better connections and benefits for customers flying to India from Australia," the spokesperson said.

Dr Puja Sharma, a Melbourne resident who recently visited Jaipur and Indore, welcomed the announcement as well.

Dr Puja Sharma

"It's a great news that the baggage allowance will be the same as our flight from Australia. This is always a concern when we are travelling interstate in India," she said, hoping to see more cities to be added in future.

"During our recent trip to Jaipur, we faced flight cancellations and had trouble finding another flight. Codesharing agreements between airlines are definitely beneficial for passengers," she added.

According to the latest visitors survey, India was among top five international visitor markets for the year ending September 2022.

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