In partnership with its significant investor, Qatar Airways, Virgin Australia began its daily Melbourne-Doha services on Monday, boosting choice and accessibility into the Middle East and through to the UK and Europe.
Research from Melbourne Airport forecasts that the new services will deliver a $190 million windfall to Victoria’s economy each year.
Flights out of Melbourne to Doha join daily flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to Doha launched in the middle of the year through the Virgin Australia-Qatar Airways partnership.
Meanwhile new services between Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia have also begun this week, connecting the two destinations directly for the first time in two years.
Operating five times a week on Malaysia Airlines, the services are expected to inject $54 million into Queensland’s economy in the first year.
And in Perth, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines have both bumped up their flight frequencies this week, to twice daily to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur respectively.
Japanese carrier, All Nippon Airways, has also increased its flight frequency between Perth and Tokyo to daily from this week until mid-April 2026.
Meanwhile China Southern Airlines is operating seasonal flights between Perth and Guangzhou at least three times a week until March 2026, with four flights a week over the majority of that period.
“More flights mean more visitors to our incredible state, more opportunities for tourism operators to showcase their offerings, and more jobs for Western Australians in the tourism and hospitality sectors,” said Western Australia’s tourism minister, Reece Whitby.
“These expanded services are a strong endorsement of Western Australia’s growing appeal as a tourism and business destination.
“Securing additional nonstop aviation services will provide a valuable boost to our tourism economy, supporting local businesses and local jobs, part of the Cook Government’s economic diversification strategy in attracting out-of-state visitors to WA.”
