Mumbai: There will be no direct flight connectivity between Mumbai and Melbourne for more than five months between March and September as Air India has converted the route into a seasonal operation. This move is expected to affect more than 30,000 passengers travelling on the route.

About The Decision

Air India has decided to convert the Mumbai-Melbourne route, which is served thrice a week, into a seasonal operation from March end, leaving the passengers with no choice of direct flight between the two cities. The airline has suspended the operations of flight AI310 from Mumbai to Melbourne and flight AI311 flying back from Melbourne to Mumbai from March 29 to September 13.

The direct flights on this route will be operational again from September 14 with a changed timetable. Flight AI310 that departs from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 12.50am and reaches Melbourne at 6.10pm, will depart at 1.35am and reach at 5.30pm. Similarly, flight AI311 that departs from Melbourne at 8pm and reached Mumbai at 2.35am, will leave at 7pm and will reach Mumbai at 2.35am.

The suspension of the only direct flight between both these cities will result in increased travel time between both the cities which currently takes around 12 hours. Other options of connecting flights take longer to complete the journey, ranging from 13hr 25min to more than 52 hours.

Impact Of The Decision

The decision is expected to affect more than 30,000 people on this route who might be travelling for business, education and tourism. According to the data from Director general of civil Aviation (DGCA), 16,307 passengers travelled from Mumbai to Melbourne, whereas 16,758 passengers flew from Melbourne to Mumbai in the second and third quarter of 2024. These passengers will now have to choose from the connecting flights available on this route.

Before Air India’s direct flight between Mumbai and Melbourne was started in December 2023, only Delhi had direct connectivity with Melbourne. Following the launch of the direct flight, 10,635 people travelled from Mumbai to Melbourne from December 2023 to March 2024, whereas 10,801 people flew from Melbourne to Mumbai. According to sources, the changes can be attributed to seasonal demand patterns.

The Free Press Journal contacted Air India to know the reason behind the change but did not receive a reply until the news was published.