VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: New Canberra direct to Bali flights

These flights began on 22 July, so Canberrans can choose not to drive to Sydney Airport to make the domestic connection. Instead, they can fly direct from Canberra Airport to Denpasar in Bali.

The new service is a meaningful win for travellers across the ACT, including residents of Batemans Bay, Bega, Cooma, Jindabyne and Merimbula. They now have a realistic alternative to trekking north to Sydney or connecting through Brisbane for a Bali holiday.

Virgin is using Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route, with Business Class, Economy X extra-legroom seats and standard Economy. Flights depart Canberra in the afternoon and return overnight from Bali.

Seasonal route

The route will run seasonally from April to January, initially with three weekly return services. Virgin says it can increase the frequency during peak periods, subject to demand. Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron has indicated that school-holiday operations could increase to five flights per week.

That demand will be closely watched. Canberra has had international flights before, including a short-lived Bali service by Batik Air, while Qatar Airways and Fiji Airways currently provide overseas links from the airport. However, Virgin’s arrival is a different sort of milestone. It’s the first Australian carrier to put its name on an international Canberra departure board.

Virgin expects the route to add more than 40,000 seats a year. It joins the airline’s existing Bali flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, taking its annual Bali capacity to more than half a million seats.

Sale

To mark the route, Virgin has released Economy Lite fares from AU$449 return for selected travel dates between 28 July 2026 and 24 May 2027. The catch, naturally, is that Economy Lite does not include checked luggage or seat selection. Stick your swimmers in your carry-on and buy a sarong when you arrive.

The sale ends at 11.59 pm AEST on Friday 26 June, unless seats disappear earlier.

Velocity members can also book Reward Seats from 22,500 Velocity Points one-way, plus taxes and charges.

The direct flight will not turn Canberra into a long-haul hub overnight. But for a city which has spent years watching international ambitions arrive, depart and then vanish, Bali is a strong and sensible place to start.

2PAXfly Takeout

Virgin’s Canberra–Bali direct flights remove one of the least enjoyable parts of an ACT holiday. That’s getting to the airport in another city before the real journey has even begun. Three flights a week, seasonally, is a cautious start, but Bali is a good service to start.