Canberra Airport is preparing for a transformative year in 2026 as Virgin Australia joins Jetstar, FlyPelican and other carriers in rolling out new routes and capacity upgrades that promise to reshape how locals, business travellers and visitors move in and out of Australia’s capital. From the first ever international service operated by an Australian airline from Canberra to a step-up in low-cost capacity on key domestic corridors, the airport is rapidly emerging as a more competitive and connected hub than at any time in its history.
Virgin Australia’s First International Route From the Capital
The headline development for 2026 is Virgin Australia’s decision to launch its first-ever international service from Canberra, with direct flights to Bali scheduled to commence on 22 June 2026. The move marks a watershed moment both for the airline and for the nation’s capital, positioning Canberra Airport as more than just a domestic gateway and underscoring the strength of outbound leisure demand from the region.
Virgin Australia’s Canberra to Bali service will operate three return flights per week, on a seasonal pattern from April through January to closely align with holiday travel peaks. The airline has indicated scope to increase frequency during peak periods if demand continues to build. Annual capacity on the route is expected to exceed 40,000 seats, immediately placing Bali among Canberra’s most significant international leisure links.
Services will be flown using Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft, offering Business, Economy and the popular Economy X seating option that provides extra legroom and priority boarding. The schedule is crafted for convenience, with afternoon departures from Canberra and overnight returns from Bali to maximise holiday time on the ground and allow travellers to arrive back in the capital ready for a new working week.
Why Bali, Why Now: The Demand Behind the Route
Virgin Australia’s choice of Bali as its inaugural international destination from Canberra is far from incidental. Indonesia, and Bali in particular, has surged in popularity among Australian travellers, recently overtaking New Zealand as one of Australia’s most frequented overseas holiday spots. For many Canberra residents, the island has long been on the radar, but accessing it typically required a change of planes in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
The new direct route cuts travel time and complexity, eliminating transfers and making a Bali getaway far more accessible for families, public servants tied to tight leave schedules and business travellers seeking quick breaks. The convenience factor is expected to resonate strongly across the Canberra–Queanbeyan region and throughout surrounding parts of New South Wales that look to Canberra as their primary airport.
Price is another key driver. Virgin Australia has launched the route with promotional return fares starting from the sharper end of the market in Economy Lite, positioning the service to compete not just on convenience but also value. Coupled with the seasonal schedule and the potential for added frequencies in busy months, the route is clearly designed to capture a broad slice of leisure travel demand and to stimulate new trips rather than simply diverting existing passengers from other airports.
Jetstar Ups the Stakes With More Low-Cost Capacity
While Virgin Australia turns Canberra’s attention toward the beaches of Bali, Jetstar is doubling down on its domestic expansion from the capital. The low-cost carrier has confirmed it will upgauge its Canberra to Brisbane services from April to October 2026, deploying larger Airbus A321LR aircraft in place of its A320s on the route. The change adds more than 19,000 extra low-fare seats over the period, significantly boosting capacity on what has quickly become one of Jetstar’s most popular Canberra links.
The A321LRs bring up to 52 additional seats per flight, alongside comfort and efficiency improvements such as larger overhead lockers, in-seat power and device holders designed for streaming entertainment. For Canberra-based travellers, the shift means greater access to Queensland at the height of the cooler months in the capital, and more opportunities for Brisbane residents to explore the cultural, gastronomic and nature-based experiences that the ACT and surrounding region have developed in recent years.
Jetstar already operates up to 18 return flights a week from Canberra across routes to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne, and the latest capacity uplift pushes its annual seat offering through the capital to well over 350,000. Since entering the Canberra market in late 2021 and subsequently launching Gold Coast and Melbourne services, the carrier has carried more than one million passengers in and out of the ACT, firmly establishing low-cost travel as a permanent feature of the city’s aviation landscape.
FlyPelican Strengthens Regional Connectivity to and From Canberra
Alongside the big-brand headlines from Virgin Australia and Jetstar, regional airline FlyPelican is quietly expanding its footprint in and around the Canberra catchment, reinforcing the capital’s role as a key node in a broader regional network. From October 2025 the carrier has been rolling out direct services between Canberra and Avalon Airport near Geelong, operated with 19-seat British Aerospace Jetstream 32 aircraft three times a week.
That link, connecting Victoria’s second-largest city and the nearby Bellarine Peninsula with the ACT, has been welcomed by business travellers and leisure passengers alike, providing a nimble regional alternative to larger jet operations through Melbourne. For Canberra Airport and the wider region, it also contributes to a more diverse and resilient route map, spreading risk across a mix of full-service, low-cost and regional operators.
FlyPelican’s presence complements its existing network into regional New South Wales, feeding traffic into Canberra while also offering an additional option for residents who previously faced lengthy surface journeys or multiple flight connections. As Virgin Australia and Jetstar focus on high-volume leisure and trunk routes, FlyPelican’s growth underscores the importance of smaller, point-to-point services that keep regional economies tied into the national capital.
Canberra Airport’s Growing Role as a Tourism and Business Gateway
Taken together, these developments are reconfiguring Canberra Airport’s strategic role within Australia’s aviation system. Long seen primarily as a government and business hub with a relatively narrow set of domestic trunk connections, the airport is now carving out a parallel identity as a gateway for leisure and regional travel. The introduction of a Bali service, the strengthening of Queensland links, and improved connections to Victoria and regional centres point to a broader repositioning of the capital as a starting point, not just a destination of necessity.
Local tourism operators are poised to benefit. Additional inbound capacity from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Avalon, combined with the visibility that comes from headline route announcements, is expected to draw more visitors to Canberra’s museums, galleries, food and wine experiences and surrounding countryside. The airport itself has consistently emphasised that aviation growth is central to its strategy for enhancing the ACT’s visitor economy, and these 2026 changes align squarely with that ambition.
For the business community, improved connectivity translates into greater flexibility and increasingly competitive fares. Public servants, defence personnel, academics and private sector professionals based in Canberra will have more options for rapid domestic travel, while the new Bali service provides a practical route for delegations, conferences and trade missions engaging with Indonesia and the broader region.
What the Changes Mean for Travellers in 2026
For travellers, the most immediate impact of this wave of expansion is choice. In 2026, Canberra-based passengers looking north will find more low-cost seats and more frequent connections to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and beyond, while those chasing overseas sunshine can swap multi-stop journeys for a single afternoon departure to Bali and an overnight return. Residents of Geelong and the Bellarine region, meanwhile, gain more convenient access to the nation’s capital and its institutions through FlyPelican’s Avalon link.
The competitive dynamic is shifting as well. Jetstar’s capacity growth places downward pressure on fares and raises the bar in terms of cabin product in the low-cost segment, while Virgin Australia’s entry onto an international route from Canberra signals its intent to chase new leisure markets from non-traditional gateways. Regional players such as FlyPelican ensure that smaller communities are not left behind in the push for growth, anchoring Canberra’s role as a natural hub for southern New South Wales and northern Victoria.
These changes also offer greater resilience in the face of disruptions. With a broader mix of airlines and destinations, travellers have more alternatives if schedules change or particular routes face temporary constraints. The combination of jet and turboprop services, low-cost and full-service models, and domestic and international connectivity means Canberra Airport is less exposed to the fortunes of any single carrier or corridor than in the past.
Preparing for Take-off: Practical Considerations for Using the New Routes
As the 2026 schedule beds in, passengers planning to use Canberra’s new and expanded services will need to consider timing and seasonality. Virgin Australia’s Bali flights, for example, operate on a seasonal basis from April to January, with the inaugural service timed for 22 June. Travellers eyeing school holiday trips or long-weekend escapes should expect peak demand around mid-year holidays and during the September to January period, when additional frequencies may be deployed, but when securing competitive fares will likely require early booking.
On the domestic front, Jetstar’s upgauged Airbus A321LR operations on the Canberra to Brisbane route will run from April to October, a period that aligns with Canberra’s cooler months and peak Queensland holiday appeal. Those planning winter sun getaways or combining Canberra with a broader Australian itinerary may find that flexibility in travel dates pays dividends, especially around long weekends and major events in both cities.
For regional travellers feeding into Canberra from surrounding towns and cities, the growth in routes and capacity underscores the value of viewing the capital as a primary aviation hub. With more seats, more competition and a wider mix of destinations on offer in 2026, it increasingly makes sense to weigh the time and cost of driving to Sydney or Melbourne against the convenience of flying direct from Canberra or via one of its growing network of connections.
A Capital on the Move
Virgin Australia’s entry into international operations from Canberra, Jetstar’s ambitious capacity lift and FlyPelican’s regional expansion collectively mark a turning point for air travel in and out of the nation’s capital. What was once a compact domestic market dominated by a small number of trunk routes is evolving into a more complex and dynamic network, with new international horizons and stronger links to regional and leisure destinations.
For travellers, the message is clear. In 2026, Canberra Airport is no longer simply a gateway to the corridors of power, but a springboard to beaches, business centres and regional heartlands across Australia and into Southeast Asia. As airlines roll out new aircraft, sharpen their fares and chase emerging pockets of demand, the capital’s residents and visitors stand to gain from a revolution in connectivity that is only just beginning to take off.