Melbourne Airport (MEL) has announced a new service direct from Los Angeles (LAX), with flights set to launch later this year.
The flights, which will be offered by Delta Air Lines, will operate three times a week starting in December, with plans already in place to expand this number with the introduction of additional long-haul A350 aircraft units to the operator’s fleet.
Delta’s service will be the first to utilise non-stop Airbus A350 flights from Melbourne to the United States, with the aircraft capable of carrying up to 275 passengers at any time.
The aircraft is also fitted with Delta’s four-class cabin, which includes 40 Delta One suites onboard.
Melbourne Airport CEO, Lorie Argus, said:Delta is one of the largest airlines in the world and is consistently rated one of North America’s best carriers, so we’re thrilled to have them adding Melbourne to their network because of the opportunities it presents for Victorians and Victorian business,” she said.
The new services will help bring hundreds of extra visitors to our state each week, which will help support Victoria’s world-class tourism, dining and hospitality venues.
North America is an incredibly important inbound market for us, and we're proud to be partnering with Visit Victoria to 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.
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
The new service will initially offer flights departing LAX at 9:52pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with each flight arriving into MEL at 8:15 (+2) local time.
Return flights will depart from MEL at 10:25 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving into LAX at 6:10am local time that same day.
