HYDERABAD: Passenger traffic between Hyderabad and Australia has soared nearly 40-fold over the past four years, jumping from 3,500 travellers in 2021 to 1.5 lakh in 2024, amid stricter US travel norms.Be it visiting friends and relatives, student traffic, corporate travel, or increased tourism, air travel between Hyderabad and Australia has seen a sharp rise in the last few years. Additionally, there has been a rise in high-value leisure travel, further strengthening the market’s appeal. This has led to a sharp increase in demand for business class and premium economy seats.While Melbourne and Sydney have been the top destinations, there is also a sharp rise in air travel to Australian cities like Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.For instance, the number of passengers travelling between Hyderabad and Perth increased from 4,900 in 2022 to 9,500 in 2024, as shown by data from IATA.According to GHIAL, currently, around 15 lakh passengers travel annually from Hyderabad to Australia. A significant number of these travellers take domestic flights to Delhi or Bengaluru to connect to international services—this indirect traffic is not fully captured in data. Given Hyderabad’s strong catchment area, there is potential to attract an additional 50,000 passengers annually from surrounding cities and regions, officials said.
“Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is witnessing a high rise in passenger demand for direct connectivity to Australia—driven by expanding business ties, academic pursuits, and tourism. We are actively working with airline partners and stakeholders to establish this high-potential route, which will not only meet the evolving needs of travellers but also strengthen bilateral engagement. We want to enable seamless, world-class connectivity between Hyderabad and Australia,” said Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GHIAL.TRAVEL TIME SET TO COME DOWN To capitalise on the demand, airlines have now decided to operate direct flights between Hyderabad and Australia.
This development will reduce the travel time by three to six hours, i.e., from 16 to 17 hours to 11 hours. At present, passengers spend 2 to 4 hours in layovers in Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangkok due to connecting flights, according to GHIAL authorities.
