Qantas, Jetstar reveal new international routes to India, South Korea

Qantas and Jetstar have announced two new international routes, with Qantas set to add another route to India and both airlines to offer non-stop flights to South Korea.

Qantas will fly four times a week from Sydney to Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore) from September 14.

The airline will add flights from Sydney to Seoul from December 10, with Jetstar launching on the same route on November 2.

Qantas said the Bengaluru route would be the first non-stop flight between Australia and southern India by any airline and will cut almost three hours off the current fastest travel time between the two cities. The airline will fly an Airbus A330 on the route.

Qantas also announced a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India's largest domestic carrier, offering connections to more than 50 other Indian cities.

The airline launched non-stop flights from Melbourne to Delhi in December, the first time Qantas had flown the route for more than 40 years. It previously stopped its last Indian route, Brisbane to Mumbai, in 2012.

According to the airline, the Delhi flights had been the fastest-selling since Australia's international borders opened.

Qantas' South Korea flights will mark the first time the airline has flown to Seoul since 2008. Jetstar launched flights from the Gold Coast to Seoul in December 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the route. Jetstar will fly a Boeing 787 Dreamliner three times a week on the route.

South Korea opened its borders to visitors without requiring quarantine last Friday and has eased some other restrictions around social distancing this week. However, health authorities have warned restrictions, including quarantine, could be reintroduced if COVID-19 cases surge.