Bali Bound: Virgin Australia To Resume Some International Flying

Nearly 18 months after axing all their international flights, Virgin Australia is resuming some short-haul international flying over the next six months. The airline is quietly spreading its wings and has scheduled into its timetables flights to Bali and Fiji.

It is increasingly likely Australia will allow its vaccinated citizens to start travelling to selected countries from mid-December (December 17 is shaping up as the potential restart date). Accordingly, airlines are beginning to reschedule flights on specific routes. That includes Virgin Australia, who spectacularly quit international flying in the first half of 2020.

Virgin Australia books in a March restart date for Bali

Sunday, March 27, is shaping up as a big day for Virgin Australia, with flights scheduled to resume to Bali from three Australian cities. On that Sunday, daily flights between Sydney and Denpasar are scheduled to begin. VA 63 will push back from SYD for the six-hour and 45-minute flight to Denpasar, landing at 16:30. The return flight, VA66, will depart DPS daily at 22:10 and get back to Sydney at 07:10 the next day.

Scheduled to leave Melbourne at 18:50 every evening from March 27, VA93 will fly north for six and half hours to land in Denpasar at 22:15. The return flight, VA96, will depart DPS at 23:25 and touch down in Melbourne at 08:00 the following day.

Also commencing March 27 are Virgin Australia’s daily flights from Brisbane to Depensar. VA47 will take off at 10:10 and land in Denpasar six and a half hours later at 14:35. Starting on the same day, the return flight departs DPS at 23:10 and lands back in Brisbane at 06:55 the next morning.

As of yet, Virgin Australia isn’t scheduling nonstop flights from Perth or Adelaide in March 2022. Dummy booking searches send passengers via the three Australian east coast cities. There is also nothing coming out up of Darwin. And while Virgin Australia has been showing Tasmania some love lately, that love definitely does not extend to scheduling direct flights to Denpasar from Hobart.

Virgin Australia Fiji flights in time for Christmas

Indonesia isn’t in that band of countries Australia is likely to allow its vaccinated citizen to fly to and from initially. But Fiji is expected to make the cut. Fiji Airways, Qantas, and Jetstar are all planning to fly between Australia and Fiji by Christmas. Now, Virgin Australia is joining the fray. Flights to Nadi from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane will begin barrelling down the runway just in time to rendezvous with Santa in Fiji.

Resuming on Thursday, December 23, are daily flights between Sydney and Nadi. VA181 will leave SYD at 08:30 and land in Nadi four and a half hours later at 13:45. The return flight, VA182, will leave Nadi at 14:40 and get back into Sydney at 18:25.

Whereas now no passenger flights are running between Sydney and Nadi, on December 23, five flights in each direction are planned. That’s indicative of the hope (and money) riding…