iscover
Qantas has expanded its Indonesia services with the launch of a route from Melbourne to Jakarta.
The new service took off for the first time at 4:47pm yesterday as flight QF39, arriving in Jakarta at 8:18pm local time. It will operate three times per week using Airbus A330 aircraft, adding to the national carrier’s existing Sydney to Jakarta flights.
This route is the fourth international service Qantas has added from Melbourne since border restrictions were lifted, following Delhi, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Tokyo (Haneda). It is positioned against Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, which flies between Melbourne and Jakarta twice a week.
“We continue to see really strong demand for travel to and from Melbourne, so we’re pleased to be expanding our international network with another new route of out Victoria,” said Qantas domestic and international CEO Andrew David.
“Jakarta is becoming an increasingly important destination for our corporate travellers. These direct flights offer more choice and make it even easier for them to do business with one of Australia’s closest neighbours.”
Between the Sydney and Melbourne routes, the Flying Kangaroo now has 10 flights per week between Australia and Jakarta, translating to around 300,000 seats per year. Across both Qantas and Jetstar services, the group flies 106 return services per week between Australia and Indonesia, including Jetstar’s routes to Bali.
Announcing the Melbourne to Jakarta service in February, David said, “We expect these flights to be popular with Victoria’s large Indonesian expat community wanting to visit family and friends back home as well as offering a new gateway for travellers looking to explore the region.
“Indonesia is a rapidly growing economy and home to more than 270 million people. As one of Australia’s closest neighbours, these new flights will also help support the growing trade and investment links between our two countries.”
Bali is the most popular international destination for Jetstar, with Qantas’s low-cost sister carrier flying more than one million flights to Denpasar since reopening them in March 2022.
This includes up to 70 return flights per week to seven Australian cities, and boosted capacity to Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide.
“Demand for our flights to Bali is booming, and we’re on track to carry 10 per cent more passengers between Australia and Bali in 2023 compared to 2019, as customers continue to prioritise travel post-COVID,” said Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully last month.
