Flights from Delhi to Adelaide

Get Delhi to Adelaide fare options

There is no nonstop flight from Delhi (DEL) to Adelaide (ADL). Travellers connect once, either through an overseas hub such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Doha, or on a nonstop from Delhi to Sydney or Melbourne followed by a domestic flight. Expect somewhere between 15 and 22 hours in total, depending on the connection.

We book this route for South Australian families bringing parents and relatives over from India, and for students and new migrants moving to Adelaide. You can call our Adelaide number on 08 6214 2685, pay here in Australia, and we look after the ticket and the special requests.

How travellers get from Delhi to Adelaide

Adelaide has fewer international flights than the east coast, so the choice of airline is narrower and the fare can move quickly when seats sell. Options typically include:

Singapore Airlines via Singapore
Malaysia Airlines via Kuala Lumpur
Qatar Airways via Doha or Emirates via Dubai, depending on season
Air India to Sydney or Melbourne, with a domestic flight on to Adelaide

Which of these is best depends on the traveller. A confident flyer may prefer the lowest fare. An older parent is often better off with the shortest, simplest connection on a single ticket.

Overseas hub or an east coast connection?

This is the decision we discuss most with Adelaide families. Connecting through an overseas hub means the traveller stays airside in transit and clears Australian immigration once, in Adelaide. It suits people who want to arrive straight into their home city.

Connecting through Sydney or Melbourne means immigration and biosecurity happen at the east coast airport. The passenger then collects bags, re-checks them and moves to a domestic terminal. In Sydney that transfer involves a train or bus between terminals. In Melbourne the domestic terminals are next to the international one. It can work well, but the layover needs to be generous, especially with wheelchair assistance. If the domestic leg is on a separate ticket, a delay on the long-haul flight could mean a missed connection with no protection, which is why we prefer to price the whole journey together.

Before the ticket: the visitor visa

Indian citizens need an Australian visa before they travel. Parents visiting children in Adelaide usually apply for the Visitor visa (subclass 600). Airlines check the visa at check-in in Delhi.

We usually recommend waiting for the grant before buying a restrictive fare. Our visa assistance for Australia page explains how we can help. Check the grant for conditions, including any health insurance condition, and look at travel insurance for the length of the visit. Official requirements are on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Arriving at Adelaide Airport

Adelaide Airport is compact, with domestic and international flights under one roof. That makes pick-ups easy. It is also only a short drive from the city and most suburbs, often 15 to 25 minutes.

On an international arrival, passengers go through immigration, collect bags and pass biosecurity screening before reaching the arrivals area. Because the airport handles fewer international flights than Sydney or Melbourne, queues are often shorter, though that is not guaranteed when two flights land close together.

Adelaide's winters are cooler than many visitors expect, with cold nights from June to August, so a warm layer in the cabin bag is sensible. Summer can be very hot and dry.

Wheelchair help, meals and meet-and-assist

Parents flying alone to Adelaide usually have a connection to manage, so we make sure assistance is requested on every flight in the booking, not just the first one. With a wheelchair request, airport staff escort the traveller from check-in to the gate in Delhi, through the transfer at the hub, and through arrival formalities in Adelaide.

We can also request vegetarian, Jain or other special meals on each sector, and arrange a paid meet-and-assist service at Delhi for help with check-in and emigration. Ask the traveller to keep medicines and prescriptions in the cabin bag, along with your Adelaide address written in English.

Declaring food at the border

Australia's biosecurity rules apply at whichever airport the traveller first enters. Any food brought from India, including sweets, spices, dry snacks and pickles, should be declared on the Incoming Passenger Card. Officers inspect it and return what is allowed. Items such as seeds, fresh produce and some dairy or meat products may be taken. Failing to declare can bring a fine, so the simple rule is to declare everything edible.

When Adelaide families usually fly relatives over

A lot of Delhi to Adelaide bookings are timed around family events: a grandchild's birth, a graduation, or simply the Australian summer when children are on school holidays. December and January are the busiest months for travel between India and Australia, and Adelaide's limited number of international seats means fares for those dates can rise quickly. Booking a few months ahead gives more choice.

Some parents prefer to come in spring or autumn, when Adelaide's weather is mild and flights are usually less crowded. Students heading to Adelaide's universities tend to travel before the February and July semester starts, and they often need a one-way ticket with a decent baggage allowance. New migrants have similar needs, plus some flexibility if the move date shifts. We quote for each of these situations a little differently, so tell us who is travelling and why.

Other pages for Adelaide travellers

Flying from Adelaide to India instead? See flights to India from Adelaide. If family are spread across states, the Delhi to Melbourne page covers the east coast connection in more detail.