One of the world’s largest and oldest airlines, Delta Airlines, will start flying directly to Melbourne from the United States from December.
The announcement was made by Melbourne Airport, which said the American airline had confirmed it would initially operate three flights per week using the new 275-seat Airbus A350 aircraft between Los Angeles (LAX) and the Victorian state capital (MEL).
Melbourne Airport said Delta would become the first airline to fly the A350 non-stop from Melbourne and the U.S.
CEO Lorie Argus said the new services would bring hundreds of extra visitors to Victoria each week, help restore capacity on the Los Angeles route and incentivise North American tourists to make Melbourne their first stop.
“The arrival of a new carrier on the route will also make it easier for Victorian businesses to connect with one of our key trading partners and Victorian families wanting to travel to Disneyland or North American ski fields,” Argus said in a media release.
“The additional cargo capacity will enable more high-value Victorian exports to travel directly to North America, without the expense of a transit through Sydney.”
Delta’s service will depart LAX at 9:25 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and arrive in Melbourne at 8:15 am (+2) local time, with return flights departing from Melbourne at 10:25 am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Delta joins Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand in flying directly from overseas to Melbourne, which has Australia’s second busiest airport behind Sydney.
About 20 airlines fly directly from overseas to Sydney Airport, including Turkish Airlines, which began direct services in December.
