Bali bound: Virgin Australia launches first-ever direct international flights from Canberra

Canberran holidaymakers will no longer have to travel to Sydney to fly to one of Australia's most popular overseas holiday destinations.

Virgin Australia is launching a brand new international route from Canberra direct to Bali, Indonesia.

The direct flights are to start on June 22, with three return services a week, leaving Canberra in the afternoon and returning overnight.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, January 28, with a lowest return fare of $399, at sale prices for a short time.

"This is the first time in the history of the company that we will operate internationally from the capital," the airline's chief executive Dave Emerson said.

The new service was, he believed, "a significant win for the ACT", strengthening the territory's international connectivity.

"Virgin Australia will be the only Australia-based airline operating internationally out of Canberra, and the only carrier on this new route," he said.

"Bali is one of Australia's most popular international holiday destinations, and we know this service will be warmly welcomed by travellers across the region," Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron said.

The other two non-Australian airlines flying from Canberra are Fiji and Qatar.

The Malaysian Batik Air pulled out after severe problems, including with its website.

In 2024, the budget airline said, "Batik Air expresses its regret over the temporary suspension of its Denpasar-Canberra route, and acknowledges the concerns raised by affected passengers and the public." But the suspension then became permanent.

The expansion by Virgin Australia follows last week's announcement that Jetstar was to expand its service from Canberra to Brisbane.

The budget airline owned by Qantas said it would get bigger planes to fly more passengers and lower the cost.

In October, Fly Pelican started flights three times a week to Avalon, west of Melbourne. Qatar Airways also returned at the end of 2025.

Indonesia was one of Australia's most popular overseas holiday destinations in 2025. Australians returned from 128,910 trips to the archipelago in November 2025, accounting for 13.8 per cent of all resident returns.

Virgin says the new route will operate seasonally from April to January.

Virgin Australia announced earlier in January it would be expanding its Pets in Cabin trial following strong demand.

Flights can now be booked between Melbourne and the Gold Coast and Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast until June 30, 2026 - an extension to the trial period which was initially ending on January 30.

From January 31, the service will allow cats - which were initially restricted to flights between Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast - to also fly between Melbourne and the Gold Coast.