Rita Saffioti concedes plan for flights between Perth and India unlikely to take off before West Test

Direct flights between India and Perth — a major drawcard for growing tourists travelling to WA — are unlikely to be taking off before the first Test cricket match of the summer, Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti has conceded. Negotiations for a direct route to Perth have been had since before the pandemic, however, the main sticking point appears to be plane availability. The West Australian understands there is significant interest from the Government in working with Qantas on the proposed Perth to India route — off the back of successful deals for flights to Rome, Paris and London. Ms Saffioti said while negotiations were also underway to bring direct flights from India to Perth, she did not expect a deal before the West Test against India in late November. The Test match is set to be the drawcard of a new marketing campaign into India spearheaded by Adam Gilchrist. “When we were in India, we met with the two key airlines. We put offers on the table,” she said. “It’s about getting the right aircraft availability. As I said, I’ve also raised it with Qantas and also potentially Jetstar. “We’re doing all we can, and I don’t believe it’s too far away, but it’s about just making sure the airlines get the aircraft.” Ms Saffioti said one of the main factors was growing hunger from other nations to draw visitors from India. “There’s a massive demand around the world ... everyone sees understands that India is a very big market, and we’ve seen a lot of in a sense, Indians move to parts of parts of the world,” she said. “But we’re very strong. Over the past five years, we’ve seen a strong movement of Indian people to Perth. “We think our growing diaspora, that they’re all doing well in our community, that we believe that we are a logical place for a direct flight.” Tourism Council boss Evan Hall said the direct flights would guarantee growth in tourism numbers in Indians, who spent more than $17 billion overseas last year. “It’s definitely one of our fastest growing international markets, and that’s quite amazing, considering we do not have a direct flight from India,” Mr Hall said. “The growth we’re seeing is actually spectacular. “I’d say, of all the direct flights that we really want and don’t have, it’s India would be top of that list.”