Jake Nelson

In a letter to Jim Wolfe, assistant secretary of the department’s International Aviation Branch, IASC chair Genevieve Butler requested input on the decision. It comes after Virgin last month wrote to the IASC saying there was effectively no reason for the capacity application to be blocked.

As reported in The Australian Financial Review, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Murray Watt, when asked about the potential appointment of Paul Jones to succeed outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, said the airline should carefully consider any candidate’s industrial relations record.

Darwin-Gold Coast is the second ex-Bonza route Jetstar will operate, following the launch of a Cairns-Sunshine Coast service in December. The airline was rumoured in October to be in talks to revive Bonza’s Toowoomba–Melbourne route.

The airline will add almost 15,000 extra passenger seats to and from Darwin in the peak northern summer season from April to October this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The announcement comes as rival Qantas Group also pledges more services to Darwin.

The regional airline will operate early-morning flights with its 19-seat Jetstream 32 turboprop aircraft four days per week, departing at 7am from Newcastle on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. While Jetstar operates a daily service, it only offers afternoon and nighttime departures.

The two airlines will between them increase available seats to and from the Top End to more than 2.3 million in 2025, with more flights between Darwin and Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, and Sydney. It comes as Virgin Australia axes its seasonal Darwin–Adelaide service citing low demand.