Qantas Begins New Melbourne Jakarta Service

Victorians now have another international destination out of Melbourne, with the national carrier introducing new direct flights to Jakarta.

An Airbus A330 will operate the year-round flights and supplement Qantas’ existing operations from Sydney to Jakarta. These flights provide customers with about 300,000 seats between Australia and Jakarta each year and ten flights each week, more than any other airline.

The new service is the fourth international route introduced to the Qantas network from Melbourne since borders reopened after the introduction of flights to Delhi and Dallas Fort Worth. Qantas also restarted flights from Melbourne to Tokyo last month, flying for the first time to Haneda Airport, saving passengers roughly two hours of travel time to and from downtown Tokyo compared to Narita Airport, where the aircraft previously landed before the pandemic.

Travellers connecting to and from other key Indonesian cities, such as Surabaya and Medan, are also expected to use the route.

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said the new route would support growing business and government relations between Australia and Indonesia.

“We continue to see strong demand for travel to and from Melbourne, so we’re pleased to be expanding our international network with another new route out of Victoria,” Mr David said.

“Jakarta is becoming an increasingly significant destination for our business travellers.” These direct flights provide them with additional options and make conducting business with one of Australia’s closest neighbours even easier. With the flights beginning in time for the Lebaran holiday period, the route is also an ideal opportunity for more Indonesians to discover the best of Victoria or visit family and friends. We want to thank the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport for their assistance in launching this new route.”

The Qantas Group runs up to 106 weekly return flights from Australia to Indonesia, including flights from Melbourne to Bali on Qantas and Jetstar.

Qantas has announced a multi-million-dollar investment in new menus, larger meals, and premium food throughout its regional, domestic, and international network cabins. The recent menu changes, which coincide with Autumn, began rolling out last month and highlight seasonal foods, including plant-based alternatives.

Menu choices on Qantas’ Melbourne-Jakarta flights include grilled fish with red chilli sambal, stir-fried kai lan and steamed jasmine rice, and beef goulash with capsicum, buttered green beans, roasted potatoes, and black pepper sour cream.