Air Mauritius landed back in Perth yesterday, with the country’s national carrier resuming its twice-weekly flights to the city after more than two years.
MK440 is operated with an Airbus A330-900neo, and arrived just after 9am local time, following a six hour and 55-minute journey from Port Louis.
The aircraft was on the ground for almost four hours before returning to Mauritius.
It will returns to Perth on Saturday, and fly back to MK’s hub the following day.
Air Mauritius and announced plans to resume the Perth route in April, more than two years since flights were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are excited to be welcoming Perth back to our growing network and we look forward to connecting thrill-seeking leisure travellers with Australia,” said Chief Commercial Officer Laurent Recoura.
“This new route will also allow us to provide connectivity to travellers from Australia to Mauritius and the rest of the world.
“The direct connection not only represents the best and fastest way to travel to Mauritius, but also allows passengers to benefit from Air Mauritius’ international network and reach beyond destinations in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Indian Ocean islands.”
Perth Airport Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brown described Air Mauritius’ decision to return to the city as “great news for the travelling public.
“Mauritius is a popular travel destination for the leisure market and is important for international students with Curtin University having a campus there,” he said.
“Perth Airport will continue to work with our airline partners and the state government to increase services to Perth as international airline connectivity is crucial for the tourism, business, and education sector’s recovery.
“International passenger traffic is still down approximately 44% on pre-COVID numbers so it is great to see our airline partners returning.”
