Mumbai, Mar 6: As India–Australia relations enter a phase of deeper strategic and economic alignment, the University of Western Australia (UWA) has reinforced the strategic case for direct air connectivity between Perth and Mumbai, positioning education, research, and economic integration at the heart of the Indo-Pacific corridor.
This momentum coincides with UWA’s expanding footprint in India, including the establishment of its Mumbai and Chennai campuses, and the growing role of the UWA Asia Centre in Mumbai as a convening platform for policy, industry, and academia.
Against this backdrop, UWA hosted a closed-door stakeholder dialogue titled Indo-Pacific Connectivity: Building Bridges between India and Western Australia in Mumbai, bringing together senior leaders from government, aviation, industry, education, logistics, and tourism to examine the strategic, commercial, and policy rationale for direct Perth–Mumbai connectivity.
Speaking during the dialogue, Prof. Amit Chakma, Vice-Chancellor of UWA, said:
“With one of our first international campuses located in Mumbai and with deepening research and industry partnerships across Maharashtra, the case for direct Perth–Mumbai connectivity is compelling. This is not simply about aviation. It is about unlocking economic integration, accelerating mobility, and strengthening collaboration across education, trade, innovation, and government. Direct connectivity would convert strategic intent into tangible opportunity.”
Perdaman’s Founding Chairman & Managing Director, Vikas Rambal, said:
“Establishing direct Perth–Mumbai air connectivity would significantly strengthen economic, education, and tourism linkages between India and Western Australia. It is an enabler of faster trade, greater mobility, and deeper institutional collaboration across the Indo‑Pacific.”
A direct Perth–Mumbai service would represent the shortest air route between the two countries, reducing travel time by approximately four to five hours while improving passenger convenience and cargo efficiency. Enhanced direct connectivity would support business and professional mobility, strengthen international education and research collaboration, drive tourism growth in both directions, enable smoother government and institutional exchanges, and improve time-sensitive trade and supply chains. It would also reinforce Western Australia’s position as Australia’s closest and most natural gateway to India within the Indo-Pacific framework.
To move from advocacy to implementation, the University of Western Australia, through its Asia Centre, will underwrite an independent, research-led assessment of the economic, trade, tourism, education, and strategic case for direct Perth–India air services, supported by Invest and Trade Western Australia. By combining government engagement, industry participation, and independent analysis, the initiative aims to build a commercially viable and sustainable case for long-term connectivity.
As UWA continues to strengthen its presence in Mumbai through its campus, Asia Centre, and research partnerships, the University is positioning itself as a trusted catalyst translating shared India–Western Australia ambition into high-impact, real-world outcomes.