Virgin Launch New Bali Flight Route
In what is big news for Bali lovers in Australia’s capital city of Canberra, Virgin Australia have recently announced a new route direct from Canberra to Bali. This will be, surprisingly, the first ever international flight route for Virgin out of Canberra, making it massive news for local travelers.
The long-awaited service will begin operations in June 2026, and flights are expected to fill fast. The service will be a return service that will run three times a week, with possible extra flights being put on during peak periods. At this stage they will only run seasonally from April to January but stand by for that to change if demand is high.
Along with this news, Virgin also announced that there will be some massive savings on offer for early birds that wish to nail down seats on the first flights.
This is big news for not only residents of Canberra, but also for the entire region surrounding the nation’s capital city. From Jindabyne to Goulburn and Bateman’s Bay, international travel lovers will be rejoicing at the prospect of being able to jet off to Bali without having to transit Sydney Airport where they would normally be subjected to city traffic, large queues in the airport and several hours of travel by car, bus or rail. Now, a short transit through Canberra’s amazing airport will give them an experience that residents of cities such as Cairns have been enjoying for some time now, and the Sunshine Coast is soon to experience (see below).
Bali is now the number one destination for travelers from Australia, taking the top spot recently from New Zealand. Post pandemic statistics show that international travel is taking off (pardon the pun) as never seen before, and the trend doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon.
Virgin Australia has been at the forefront of the pack when planning ahead for this massive increase in popularity and opening a new route from Canberra to Bali shows just how much they have their finger on the pulse. Big moves are afoot, so watch this space for more news as it comes to hand.
New Bali Flights for Sunshine Coast Travelers
In similar news for residents of the Sunshine Coast, Jetstar are set to begin return Bali Flights routes regularly from the Sunshine Coast airport at Marcoola. This is a big coup for the region being able to secure one of the new Bali flight routes and save residents the hassle of getting to and from Brisbane when seeking a tropical getaway. Flights will begin as early as the 24th March 2026, and will continue running to the tune of three return flights per week.
An added bonus to this news is that it perfectly coincides with the commencement of Jetstar’s new route from Bali to Singapore, allowing Sunshine Coast travelers the option of continuing on not only to Singapore, but anywhere in the world from the major international hub.
The one major downside to traveling to any location from the Sunshine Coast airport though, is that it isn’t the easiest airport to access. Much like other regional airports in Australia such as Newcastle, public transport is at a minimum, leaving travelers with little options other than private transport, taxi or rideshare to be able to take advantage of their local airport. While services such as shuttles do exist, they are pricey and when that cost is added to flights, accommodation and spending money, a budget holiday in Bali suddenly doesn’t look as inviting as it once did. Having said that, it may still beat getting to Brisbane and back.
The future for Sunshine Coast residents is looking bright though, with the 2032 Olympic Games bringing welcome news in the form of a new heavy rail line from Beerwah to Caloundra. This will also link through as far as Birtinya, where it will then link with a high capacity, high frequency service through to Maroochydore and then onto the airport. This will effectively link the southern half of the Sunshine Coast to the airport, allowing residents to take advantage of the new Bali flight routes. Unfortunately, though, there will be a bit of a wait as construction isn’t planned to be completed until 2032.
For residents to the north of the airport, public transport is already in place with the 622 Translink bus service running from Noosa to Maroochydore via Coolum and the airport.
New Indonesian Alternative for Darwin Travelers
It’s not just Bali flight routes that have been in the news lately, with another up and coming Indonesian holiday destination possibly accessible from Darwin as soon as early 2026.
TransNusa plan to open flights from Darwin direct to Lombok, running four flights per week on the route. This news comes as a result of Lombok rapidly growing as a new holiday destination and alternative to Bali. While it has always been a well known destination for surfers, divers and backpackers, the recent surge in travelers visiting the island via Bali has been enormous for the economy. Darwin, being the closest port of travel in Australia, was a natural route to open to allow Australian travelers an easy, direct flight option.
At this stage there is still some red tape to get through to have the new Lombok route rubber stamped, but plans are full steam ahead and should be actioned soon. This is amazing news, and exciting for Australians who are beginning to look at alternatives to the consistently overcrowded tourist mecca of Bali. Lombok features incredible beaches, towering waterfalls and Mount Rinjani, which is one of the most awe-inspiring volcanoes in Indonesia and a bucket list item for international hikers and climbers.
TransNusa already runs Bali flight routes out of Perth, and as of the 1st July 2026 will look to add an extra four flights per week.
