Qantas and its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar are set to increase flights to Indonesia, following a recent update to the bilateral air services agreement between Australia and Indonesia, which grants permission to add another 5,000 seats per week. This will see Qantas add a new route from Brisbane Airport to Bali (DPS), and Perth International Airport to Jakarta (CGK).

As part of this new agreement, Jetstar will add a new nonstop service from Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) through to Ngurah Rai (Bali) International Airport (DPS). Bali remains one of the most popular international destinations for Australians, with all major cities having nonstop flights to the popular tourist island and more than 1.6 million passengers visiting last year according to Executive Traveller.

Qantas And Jetstar Plan New Services To Indonesia

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Submitted to the Australian International Air Services Commission for Approval, the new bilateral agreement between the two countries is the first update in the last 15 years. For Qantas, this will absorb 4,500 of the 5,000 permitted seats per week, and capacity is expected to be fully utilized by the beginning of November next year.

Qantas plans to operate the Boeing 737-800 on services from Perth Airport (PER) to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), and would see the airline compete head-to-head with Batik Air. Services are expected to operate daily from December 14. Nonstop services from Brisbane (BNE) to Bali (DPS) will also operate on the 737-800, and are planned to operate once a day from August 1, 2027.

Alongside these new routes, Qantas also hopes to increase its four weekly flights from Melbourne Airport (MEL) to Jakarta to daily, but will see the shift from the Airbus A330-200 to the A321XLR between March 28 and October 31.

Nonstop Bali Flights Coming To Western Sydney International Airport

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Jetstar also plans to make the most of the improved bilateral air services agreements for travel to Indonesia, with the airline surprisingly adding plans to provide nonstop international services from the new WSI. This airport is set to open later this year, and Jetstar has already planned a number of domestic routes to the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The new route from Western Sydney is expected to operate daily to Bali from March 15, with a modest morning departure from Sydney and a mid-afternoon departure from Bali. This would become Western Sydney’s fourth international route after Air New Zealand to Auckland Airport (AKL), Singapore Airlines to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and VietJet Air to Ho Chi Minh City.

Australian Transport Minister Catherine King has welcomed the new route announcements in a statement obtained by Executive Traveller.

“Jakarta and Denpasar are already popular holiday destinations for Australians, so being able to increase that capacity and opening up new destinations across Indonesia will be welcome news for everyone.”

More Options For Australian Travelers

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The updated bilateral air services agreement will expand travel capacity and allow airlines to open up new regional destinations. The added 5,000 extra seats will provide needed capacity on high-demand routes to Bali. The announcement also allows airlines to operate services to and from WSI, and will foster increased business and trade between the two countries.

Qantas and Jetstar are just a handful of airlines that operate between the two countries, with a growing list of Asian carriers including Garuda, AirAsia, TransNusa, and Batik Air. Nonstop flights from Jakarta currently operate to Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, while from Bali, options are to 13 destinations down under, including Adelaide, Avalon, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sunshine Coast, and Sydney.