Next stop: India and Korea!

From later this year, corporate travellers from Sydney will benefit from Qantas and Jetstar growing their international network with new direct routes to India and Korea.

Qantas will operate four weekly return flights from Sydney to Bengaluru (a growing tech and financial services hub, formerly known as Bangalore) from September using its widebody Airbus A330 aircraft. These will be the first non-stop flights between Australia and southern India by any airline and will cut almost three hours off the current fastest travel time between these locations.

Meanwhile, Qantas will continue to operate up to five flights a week between Melbourne and Delhi, making it the only airline offering direct flights between Australia and both northern and southern India. And the company intends to enter into a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, which will give customers improved one-stop access to more than 50 Indian cities.

Globe-trotting execs can also enjoy business, premium leisure and low-cost travel options between Australia and Korea later this year when Qantas and Jetstar launch direct flights to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport.

Jetstar will become the only low-cost carrier to fly direct to South Korea from Sydney, with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flights operating three times per week from November. Qantas will begin direct flights between Sydney and Seoul from December with its A330 aircraft, marking the first Qantas scheduled service to Seoul since January 2008.

Qantas has now added six new overseas routes in the past six months, including Perth-Rome and Melbourne-Delhi, Melbourne-Dallas Fort-Worth and Darwin-Dili, as it taps into new markets.