Air India and Virgin Australia have entered into a new codeshare partnership, enhancing travel connectivity between India and Australia. This agreement allows Air India to place its ‘AI’ code on Virgin Australia flights, offering seamless onward connections for passengers travelling beyond Sydney and Melbourne to 16 destinations in Australia and New Zealand.
Seamless travel experience
Passengers travelling on a single ticket under this codeshare will benefit from a streamlined journey, including baggage check-through for the entire trip. Destinations covered under this partnership include Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Perth, Queenstown (New Zealand), and more.
Alistair Hartley, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Virgin Australia expressed excitement about the partnership, stating, “India is a growing tourism market for Australia, and this collaboration will encourage travellers on Air India’s 14 weekly flights to explore more of our wonderful country.”
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, highlighted the importance of the partnership, emphasising that it offers greater accessibility to the Indian diaspora and holidaymakers eager to explore Australian attractions like the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania.
Air India currently operates 14 non-stop weekly flights from Delhi to Melbourne and Sydney using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Codeshare bookings will commence on February 11, 2025, with the first codeshare flights operating from February 18, 2025.