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Virgin Australia has returned to Uluru with its first flight from Melbourne.
The sold-out maiden flight, VA1681, touched down at Ayers Rock Airport at around 4pm local time on Thursday afternoon on board the 737-800 VH-YIA. Virgin is also commencing Brisbane–Uluru flights this week, with the first to take off on Friday.
Brisbane services will operate three times per week and Melbourne up to four times per week, adding more than 62,000 seats per year to the Red Centre. Virgin previously flew between Sydney and Uluru for a decade pre-pandemic, a service that ended in March 2020.
Each 737-800 service will carry 182 passengers across Economy, Economy X and Business classes.
According to Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, Uluru is “an incredibly important destination for Virgin Australia as one of the most iconic cultural landmarks in this country”.
“We are proud to be connecting Australians to Uluru as part of our ongoing mission to provide more value and choice to travellers,” she said.
“We know the return of Virgin Australia Uluru services will be welcome news for our people, tourism partners, guests, and our more than 12 million Velocity members, who can now earn and redeem Points on these services.
“Thanks to our wonderful partnerships with some of the world’s leading airlines, including Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines, we will now connect Uluru on a single airline ticket to more than 600 cities around the world, opening a new gateway for international tourists to explore Australia’s iconic Red Centre.”
According to Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus, the service will bring more visitors to the Red Centre.
“This new service will not only provide convenient connections between Melbourne and Uluru, but also from Tasmania, New South Wales, the ACT and international destinations through our single terminal precinct,” she said.
“Having Virgin Australia fly this route is fantastic news for travellers because it provides more choice and opportunity to explore our country’s vast interior.”
Virgin has yet to announce whether flights will resume between Uluru and Sydney.
Jetstar is the largest airline operating flights to Uluru, with up to 26 services per week to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
