TransNusa has officially launched direct return flights between Bali and Melbourne via I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, providing travellers with an additional air travel option between Indonesia and Australia.
TransNusa’s inaugural flight, 8B018, departed from Bali at 8.33 PM Central Indonesian Time on Monday, the 19th of October, carrying 139 passengers. The return flight from Melbourne, numbered 8B019, arrived back in Bali at 10.10 AM Central Indonesian Time on Tuesday, the 20th of October, with 86 passengers on board. TransNusa’s return service between Bali and Melbourne is scheduled to operate regularly, seven days a week.
Nugroho Jati, the General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, welcomed the launch of the new route, noting that Melbourne holds significant potential to strengthen connectivity and boost tourism in Bali.
“We congratulate TransNusa on the inaugural return flight between Bali and Melbourne. We see great potential in this route to strengthen the position of I Gusti Ngurah Rai [International] Airport as a tourism hub for Indonesia, especially since Melbourne consistently ranks among the top five international routes in terms of passenger volume and load factor,” Jati stated in a written press release on Tuesday.
Jati also stated, “We hope that the opening of this route will further facilitate access between destinations and provide more travel options to Australia for airport users, particularly those on the island of Bali.”
With TransNusa’s latest route, seven airlines now operate on the Bali–Melbourne route: Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air Malaysia, Qantas, Indonesia AirAsia, and TransNusa. By the end of September 2026, Australians accounted for the largest group of international visitors to Bali, with 1.3 million arrivals, representing approximately 25% of all international tourist arrivals.
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