First Qantas Australia-to-New Delhi flight in nearly 50 years touches down

Qantas has returned to India. The first commercial Qantas flight to land in India in almost a decade has touched down in New Delhi. It's the first time Qantas has operated a regular commercial service to India since 2012, when its Brisbane to Mumbai service ended.

The airline's arrival in India also marks the start of the first regular passenger flight from Australia to New Delhi since 1974, which might help explain why it's been Qantas's most popular route since Australia's borders reopened.

Following a 15-hour journey from Sydney, flight QF67 cruised onto the tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in India's capital just after 4pm local time on Monday.

The sold-out flight departed from Sydney after 6am local time on Monday morning, transiting via Adelaide before heading to the subcontinent.

Qantas last operated regular passenger flights from Australia to Delhi in 1974. Photo: Qantas

The arrival of Monday's A330-200 flight in India marks the start of Qantas's three weekly return schedules from Sydney to New Delhi. In January next year, the airline plans to add more flights on the same route.

The fast-selling flights are almost fully booked throughout the month of December said Qantas, and it's a similar story for the airline's other Australia to India route due to launch before Christmas. From Melbourne to Delhi, Qantas plans to begin operating four flights per week from December 22.

“We’re thrilled to be beginning commercial flights to India for the first time in almost a decade,” said Qantas domestic and international chief executive Andrew David. “There’s a huge amount of pent-up demand from friends and family wanting to reunite after being separated for so long.

“There was an incredible response when we announced both our new routes to Delhi. Forward bookings for the next few months are well ahead of our initial forecasts so while it’s early days, it’s an exciting start.

Qantas’ first A380 returns to Australia after nearly 600 days in storage

“The level of pent-up demand on this route can be seen by the fact that almost all customers travelled as planned despite the temporary three-day additional isolation requirement."

All travellers flying to or from India with the Australian airline must be fully vaccinated, except children and those with special exemptions.

Over the past year, Qantas operated more than 60 repatriation flights on behalf of the Federal Government to bring Australians home from India.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')

Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

MATCH INFO

Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)

Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.