Qantas has announced a new route between Melbourne and Jakarta, as the carrier increases its international network.
The new service will operate three-times-weekly to the Indonesian capital with Airbus A330 aircraft, says the Australian carrier.
The flights, which will commence on 16 April, are still subject to regulatory approvals. The carrier already flies to Jakarta from Sydney.
The Jakarta service will add to Qantas’s international network out of Melbourne, which also includes services to Dallas Fort Worth and Delhi.
“We expect these flights to be popular with Victoria’s large Indonesian expat community wanting to visit family and friends back home as well as offering a new gateway for travellers looking to explore the region,” says Qantas domestic and international chief executive Andrew David.
“Indonesia is a rapidly growing economy and home to more than 270 million people. As one of Australia’s closest neighbours, these new flights will also help support the growing trade and investment links between our two countries.”
Cirium schedules data suggests that Qantas will be the only carrier on the route. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic the only carrier operating Jakarta-Melbourne was Garuda Indonesia, but the Indonesian carrier dropped the route in 2021.
According to Cirium fleets data, Qantas operates 18 A330-200s and 10 A330-300s.
The Melbourne-Jakarta news follows Qantas’s announcement on 20 January that it is significantly expanding its codeshare agreement with Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo. Under the arrangement, Qantas will place its code on eight additional IndiGo domestic services, bringing the total to 21.
