Jetstar to begin Melbourne-Busselton/Margaret River flights in March 2020

Jetstar group chief executive Gareth Evans, who was in Busselton to launch the new route, said the new nonstop flight put Margaret River within “easy reach for a short break away” as it meant avoiding a three-hour drive from Perth.

Similarly, it would give residents in the south west region of Western Australia the opportunity to take a “mini-break on the east coast”.

“We’re really proud to be the only scheduled airline to fly directly to this region and we are thrilled to be working with the federal government, the Western Australian government and the City of Busselton to help boost local tourism,” Evans said in a statement.

The flights have been scheduled as a morning departure from Melbourne, arriving at Busselton Margaret River Airport a little after 0900 local time. Meanwhile, the return flight was also a morning departure, arriving in Melbourne in the afternoon.

Jetstar’s A320s feature 186 seats in a single-class configuration.

Busselton Margaret River Airport had been seeking nonstop flights to Australia’s east coast for some time.

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In 2018, it received an innovation and excellent award from the Australian Airports Association (AAA) for its work upgrading its airside and landside facilities.

The works included runway improvements as well as new parking bays and taxiways, among other infrastructure upgrades.

The airport’s north-south runway is 2,460m long by 45m wide and suitable for widebody aircraft such as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 787.

“The state government has spent $43.25 million towards the development of the airport and airline attraction, and will invest a further to $3.265 million to upgrade terminal infrastructure to allow Jetstar’s air service to commence in March 2020,” the WA government said in a statement on Friday.

Also, WA Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said the state’s tourism body would support the new flights to Busselton with marketing activities on Australia’s east coast.

The West Australian reported on September 30 the City of Busselton council, the state government and Tourism WA would subsidise the route by between $6 million and $8 million over three years.

In March 2019, the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities designated Busselton Margaret River an alternate international airport.