Major Airline Axes Direct Australia-Bali Flight Affecting Thousands 

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Virgin Australia has announced that it has suspended flights on its direct Adelaide-Bali route as a result of a delay in the delivery of ten new Boeing Max aircraft.

While it is still possible to fly from Adelaide to Bali with Virgin Australia, travel time has now increased to a whopping 14 hours. 

Bali lovers wishing to travel with Virgin Australia from Adelaide to Bali have now got their work cut out.

With the direct service suspended until further notice, Adelaide-based Bali travelers will have to take a layover in Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney, creating a travel time of 14 hours. 

The seasonal direct flight suspension is officially in place until the 9th June 2024 but with delays on the aircraft delivery, there is no date set for when direct service will be relaunched.

Virgin Australia have confirmed that any affected travellers can contact the support centre for help in arranging alternative travel plans or to arrange a full refund. 

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A spokesperson for Virgin Australia told reporters, “The continued suspension of this route is necessary to manage impacts to our international and domestic schedule as a result of the delayed delivery of new aircraft.”

Virgin Australia continued, “We acknowledge this decision will be disappointing for some guests, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”

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The airline adds, “Guests who wish to discuss alternative arrangements available to them are encouraged to reach out to the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre on 136 789.”

The Adelaide-Bali service from Virgin Australia was relaunched in September 2022 after being paused due to the pandemic. 

Although the Adelaide-Bali route with Virgin Australia is suspended for the foreseeable future, there is still a direct service available on the route.

Jetstar operates direct flights between Adelaide and Denpasar and has recently confirmed that more seats will be available for this route as the high season approaches. 

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As of August, Jetstar will increase its flight capacity between Darwin, Adelaide, and Bali by operating the much larger Airbus A321neo LR on the route.

In a statement published in March 2024, Jetstar’s Executive Manager, Jenn Armor told travelers “[we are adding more than 52,000 fare seats between the NT and four Australian capitals, and Bali will give Territorians greater choice and travel options over coming months.”

She added, “We’re incredibly excited to be flying the newest aircraft in our fleet, the Airbus A321neo LR, on the popular Darwin to Adelaide and Bali routes starting in August.”

Tourists from Australia are the most frequent international arrivals in Bali.

Australian tourists have long made up the majority of international holidaymakers on the Island of the Gods, with over 115,000 Australian passport holders stamped in at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International last month alone. 

Though a long way off beating the number of Australian tourists just yet, there are an increasing number of Indian and Chinese tourists arriving in Bali month-on-month.

In March 42,000 Indian tourists visited Bali and 31,000 tourists from China too.

Speaking to reporters the General Manager of Bali Airport, Handy Heryuhitiawan told repairs that increasing connectivity is making it easier for tourists from India and China to visit the island.

He explained “it is hoped that increasing the connectivity with India will have a positive impact on increasing the number of visits from Indian tourists. This step is in line with the Bali Government’s efforts to increase cooperation and visits between the two countries.”

He shared travel data for Bali Airport in March 2024. Heryuhitiawan said “we recorded services to 5,182,838, passengers and 10,312 domestic and international aircraft movements by the end of March 2024. This number grew 17% when compared to the number of passengers in the same period in 2023.”

He added “During March 2024 we served 1,001,342 international passengers with details of 492,329 departure passengers and 509,012 arrival passengers.”