Problem

It currently takes Australian Malayali residents 15-20 hours to get to Cochin. If continuing on to a smaller city in Kerala, then it’s 30+ hours. 

There’s a better way:

A Melbourne MEL/ Avalon AVV to Kochi COK Nonstop flight on Air India / Qantas, with onward connections on local carriers (SpiceJet, GoAir, IndiGo, Vistara) to Calicut / Kannur / Trivandrum / Coimbatore / Madurai / Trichy. 

Option 1:

Melbourne MEL - Kochi COK - Melbourne MEL

Option 2:

Avalon AVV - Kochi COK - Avalon AVV

Sri Lankan Airlines fly a direct flight from Melbourne to Colombo in 10.45 hours.

This is giving an indication that with more or less the same time a direct flight from Melbourne can land at Cochin International Airport Ltd.

I’ve done the analysis of current nonstops from Melbourne to the nearest airport Ceylon by air distance and my estimate for this new route is ~10 hours flying time. 

The flight could leave around 10 PM from Melbourne and arrive the next day around 4 AM IST giving plenty of time to clear immigration/customs and catch any of a plethora of morning flights to other Indian cities. 

Why is Melbourne the departing city?

Melbourne / Victoria has around 25000 Malayali families and is well connected to Sydney and Adelaide by road/rail and air. Melbourne is geographically advantaged as other cities in Australia are also well connected with domestic flights. Tasmania is also a 1-hour flying distance from Melbourne. 

Also, Melbourne has 2 airports Melbourne International at Tullamarine and Avalon Airport. With the facts above, Melbourne to Cochin direct flight will surely have fan followers. 

Why Cochin as the arrival city?

Cochin is in the central location of the State of Kerala and other small towns in nearby states. Few hours of driving will take most of the Malayalees to their home. 

They’re most likely to get a full plane this way. The route is shortest to Kochi which means no transit is required in other international cities. Travel time can significantly reduce jetlag and parents or people with disabilities can fly without any issues. Also with great onward domestic connections from the Kochi, people can “fan out” in the most efficient way (with 1-2 hours maximum further flight to Calicut / Kannur / Trivandrum / Coimbatore / Madurai / Trichy. ). 
Most importantly Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is offering NO FEE for landing and parking for direct flights to Europe.

Recently, Air India announced a weekly flight from Kochi to London and benefitted from this offer. 

Also, more benefits can be negotiated and availed as Cochin International Airport Ltd is taking pride in having direct long-haul flights from Kochi. 

Why Air India / Qantas?

Air India and Qantas are reputable national carriers and both airlines are already connecting Australian cities to New Delhi. This will definitely help these airlines to start a new route to Kochi. Air India has a hub in Kochi for its Air India operations. 

In summary, this should be a no-brainer for Air India / Qantas:

(1) Melbourne to Kochi NON-STOP is an untapped market currently “owned by” Emirates/Singapore Airlines/Air Asia with one or more stops through Dubai/Singapore/Kuala Lumpur. If these packed planes are any indication, there’s 100% plenty of market share to be had.

(2) The route is comfortably in the range of their beautiful, new Dreamliners 

(3) With CIAL welcoming direct NON STOP long-haul flights, the carriers can expect huge savings in terms of parking/maintenance/landing fees

(4) With the international terminal expansion T2 in Cochin International Airport, there is enough arrival and departure facilities to make this happen

I am planning to contact Airline leaderships/ government officials/MPs who would be able to help us in making this proposal happen. The more number on this petition will definitely help to better explain this petition. Please sign this petition and let’s all push hard to make this happen. Thank you!

A comfortable, direct flight to Kochi without stopping in Asia or in the Middle East.

It's time that the Malayalis in Australia can travel to their home airport without stopping in a foreign country on a Non-Indian/Non-Australian airline. Please sign this petition and share!

PS: This petition will help us to fly direct to Kerala after this pandemic as Qantas and Air India are in the process of announcing new routes for early next year.