The NSW Government's $60 million Aviation Attraction Fund has landed two new routes on the State's runway to recovery, with Qantas announcing Sydney- Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Sydney-Incheon services.
Qantas will operate four weekly return flights from Sydney to Bengaluru, India's third largest city, commencing 14 September 2022. These will be the first non-stop flights between Australia and southern India by any airline. Qantas Group, including Jetstar, will also operate seven weekly flights from Sydney to Seoul, commencing 10 December 2022.
Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said South Korea and India were key trade and visitor economy markets for NSW, with huge potential for future growth.
"The timing of the new Bengaluru route is impeccable, it follows the signing last week of the new Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which will create a multitude of opportunities for the visitor economy," Mr Ayres said.
"The new routes will bring a total of 11 flights from South Korea and India every week, providing 3277 seats into Sydney each week and supporting more than 360 jobs in NSW.
"Prior to the pandemic, India was the fastest growing market to NSW, with Indian travellers spending an estimated $444 million in year ending December 2019.
"The majority of these visitors to NSW from India come to visit friends and relatives and there is a huge amount of pent-up demand after being separated for so long.
"More than 77 per cent of South Koreans who visit Australia spend time in NSW and they spent an estimated $558 million in our visitor economy in 2019."
Mr Ayres said securing the new international routes was key to the NSW Government's COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan.
"The NSW Government opened applications for the Aviation Attraction Fund program in February with the aim of building aviation capacity across the state," Mr Ayres said.
"Sydney is the gateway to NSW, so supporting the return of airline routes through the Aviation Attraction Fund will be key to our recovery roadmap and achieving our goal of making NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific."
