VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Starts Canberra to Bali direct route

Canberra has few direct international connections. Maybe Doha and Fiji, which also, fortunately, function as launch pads for additional international destinations. You can now add Bali to that list, with Virgin Australia launching its first-ever international service from the nation’s capital, from 22 June 2026.

Canberrans will no longer need to head to Sydney or Melbourne for a holiday in tropical Bali, but can take a long-haul flight direct from their home airport.

Canberra–Bali: what’s launching

Don’t get too excited, the new service will operate three return flights per week, running seasonally from April to January. So that’s not exactly daily or year-round, although there is scope to add extra services during busy periods.

Virgin will fly its only aircraft capable of making the trip, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route. These are the same jets they use on domestic routes, offering Business, Economy, and extra-legroom Economy X.

Similar to most flights to Bali from Australia, the route will feature afternoon departures from Canberra and the dreaded overnight returns from Bali. It’s those overnight returns that are the killer for me when it comes to Bali being a convenient destination. The roughly six-hour flights are not enough time to have a proper sleep, so you always arrive groggy back in Australia.

Exact departure and arrival times have not yet been announced.

These flights will make Virgin Australia the only Australian airline flying internationally from Canberra, and the only airline serving the Canberra-Bali route.

Fares and sales details

Flights went on sale from 10am AEDT 28 January 2026, with promotional return fares available until 3 February 2026.

Introductory pricing starts from AU$399 return for Economy Lite, AU$499 return in Economy Choice, and AU$1,449 return in Business Class. Remember, it is on an aircraft with a domestic configuration, so Business is with recliners, not flat beds.

These discounted fares will be limited, but they are competitive.

“This is the first time in the history of the company that we will operate internationally from the capital.”

Dave Emerson, Virgin Australia CEO

Bali has now overtaken New Zealand as one of Australia’s most popular overseas destinations, with Virgin carrying more than half a million passengers between Australia and Bali in 2025.

Virgin’s Bali network

Virgin already flies to Bali from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The new Canberra service slots neatly into that network and include same-day domestic connections, improving access from regional centres across southern NSW and the ACT.

Bottom line

Now those Kuta beaches and Ubud wellness retreats will be overrun by public service-grade tourists from Canberra!

Still, it is only seasonal, and three times a week, and the return is overnight. For Canberrans, it means a non-stop trip, which avoids that rude awakening when you arrive back on Australia’s east coast and need to transfer to a domestic flight. The downside is that there will be no flat beds in Business. To get that, you will probably need to travel with Garuda, or another Asian airline, with one stop in an East Coast capital city.

Canberra Airport is actively seeking more international flights. So far, it has nabbed Qatar/Virgin to Doha and Fiji Airways. This adds Bali to its call list at least seasonally. Maybe Auckland, New Zealand, is next?