Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport officially welcomed Virgin Australia’s inaugural direct flight from Canberra to Denpasar on the evening of the 22nd of June.
This service will operate three times a week throughout the 2026 summer season—every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday—bringing the total number of direct flight routes between Bali and Australia to 12. As a result, Australia remains the country with the highest number of direct flight connections served by I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
The 12 routes connecting Australia and Bali are Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Darwin, Cairns, Newcastle, Avalon, Sunshine Coast, and the newest addition, Canberra.
Virgin Australia’s inaugural Canberra–Denpasar service was operated on Monday by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft under flight number VA127. The aircraft landed at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport at 9:02 PM Central Indonesia Time, carrying 165 passengers. It later departed for Canberra as flight VA128 at 10:39 PM Central Indonesia Time with 68 passengers on board.
Nugroho Jati, General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, said the strong interest shown by Australian travellers demonstrates that Bali remains a favourite destination among Australians.
“Air connectivity between Bali and Australia is strengthening. This is expected to have a positive impact on the tourism sector, the economy, and various other supporting industries,” he said in a written statement on Wednesday, the 24th of June.
At present, the airport serves 41 direct international routes operated by 43 airlines.
As of May 2026, Australia was recorded as the largest source of international visitors to Bali, with approximately 664,000 Australian tourists visiting the Island of the Gods.