International flights are launching from a second Melbourne airport next year.
Melbourne’s airport landscape is shifting, and it’s not happening at Tullamarine.
International flights are coming back to an alternative airport that’s been mostly flying domestic for years. From March 2026, you’ll be able to fly direct to Bali without going near Melbourne Airport’s usual chaos. Avalon Airport becomes Victoria’s second international gateway, with Jetstar operating five return flights per week to Indonesia alongside restarted Adelaide services and increased Brisbane frequencies.
Combined across all routes, the expansion dumps 320,000 new low-fare seats annually into Melbourne’s aviation mix, with 120,000 of those specifically on the Bali run. For anyone living west or southwest of the city, or anywhere near Geelong, this fundamentally changes how you access international travel.
Jetstar Avalon – Melbourne airport
- Avalon to Bali: five return flights per week from March 2026
- Avalon to Adelaide: service restarting
- Avalon to Brisbane: increased frequency
- Total new seats: up to 320,000 annually
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Avalon sits about 55 kilometres southwest of Melbourne CBD, significantly closer to Geelong than the city. Geography matters here; if you’re in the western suburbs, Geelong or heading to the Great Ocean Road, Avalon removes the need to battle across town to Tullamarine. During peak traffic, that’s not a minor convenience, it’s the difference between a manageable travel day and a stressful one.
Infrastructure upgrades are already underway. Avalon is installing 1,000 new seats across terminals, upgrading runway lighting, adding security gear and cameras, connecting water to the control tower and creating 500 more car parks.
Route 18 launches in coming months; the first public bus connecting Lara Station to Avalon seven days a week. Previously, reaching Avalon without a car meant expensive rideshare or taxis, which priced out plenty of potential travellers and made working at the airport less accessible. Combined with improved Geelong line services from last year, public transport to Avalon is finally becoming realistic.
Bali consistently ranks among the most popular international destinations for Australians. Direct Avalon-Bali flights mean western Melbourne and Geelong residents skip the Tullamarine trek entirely, while potentially influencing pricing on other Melbourne-Bali routes through competition.
Victoria’s aviation sector contributed $23 billion to the state economy in 2022-2023, supporting over 138,000 full-time jobs. Two functioning international airports create network resilience and competitive pressure that generally benefits consumers through pricing and service variety.
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