Starting in mid-April, the Flying Kangaroo will run flights between the two cities on a thrice-weekly basis.
A Qantas Airbus A330-200 aircraft. (Photo: Qantas)
Following the debut of direct services from Melbourne to Delhi and Dallas-Fort Worth since Australia’s borders reopened last February, Qantas has announced a third international route out of Tullamarine Airport in response to strong demand for overseas travel. Nonstop flights to Jakarta are set to take off from April 16, with widebody Airbus A330 aircraft making the journey three times a week.
On Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, QF39 will depart Melbourne at 3:10 p.m. and touch down in the Indonesian capital at 7:15 p.m., after an estimated seven hours and five minutes in the air. Flight QF40 will then leave at 9 p.m. to reach Tullamarine at 6:40 a.m. the next morning, taking six hours and 40 minutes on the return.
The new service adds to Qantas’ existing flights from Sydney and will increase seats to and from Jakarta by more than 6,600 per month, while providing another option for flyers connecting to and from other major Indonesian cities such as Surabaya and Medan. The sole competitor on the route is Garuda Indonesia, which also uses A330s to operate a red-eye service from Jakarta twice a week.
Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said in a statement, “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 travelers looking to explore the region.”
To celebrate the upcoming launch of the new route, Qantas is offering a special fare starting from A$899 (US$642) return, available until 11:59 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time on February 7, unless sold out beforehand.
