Air India plans to fly directly to Melbourne from October

Direct Air India services between Delhi and Melbourne have been scheduled to finally commence in October this year with the carrier planning to fly its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route.

The long awaited service, originally earmarked for a November 2010 start, will see the airline become just the second carrier behind ANA to receive the new jets, Indian newspaper The Telegraph reported.

Boeing flew a demonstration Dreamliner to New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport late last week. 

An Air India official told the newspaper direct flights to Australia were a “priority” for the airline.

“The route will be profitable for Air India and is a key ingredient of the turnaround plan,” the official said.

According to the newspaper, Air India also intends to operate services to Melbourne from Chennai and Mumbai.

The carrier has ordered around 27 of the 259-seater wide-body jets for its medium to long-haul flights, with trials on the aircraft to begin in August.

“Training for the Air India pilots will begin next month,” Boeing India president Dinesh A. Keskar remarked.