Qantas announced the latest addition to its international routes: Melbourne Airport (MEL) to Jakarta’s Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (JKT) commencing April 16, 2023.
The Australian flag carrier plans to operate this return route three times weekly using its fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft.
The new route will be in addition to Qantas’ flights to Jakarta from Sydney, and will increase seat totals to and from the Indonesian capital by more than 6,000 per month. It is expected to bolster the growing trade and tourism ties between Australia and Indonesia.
Qantas said that the route should also be popular with travelers connecting to and from other major Indonesian cities such as Surabaya and Medan.
Melbourne-Jakarta will be the third new international route out of Melbourne operated by Qantas, following the launch of flights to Delhi and Dallas Fort Worth, as the airline responds to strong demand for travel since international borders reopened.
“Indonesia is a rapidly growing economy and home to more than 270 million people. As one of Australia’s closest neighbors, these new flights will also help support the growing trade and investment links between our two countries,” Qantas domestic and international CEO Andrew David said in a statement.
Australia – Indonesia relations
Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, and is one of Australia’s most important international bilateral relationships.
In 2018, the Australia – Indonesia relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic partnership which means the two countries are building its bilateral cooperation around five broad pillars:
- enhanced economic and development partnership
- connecting people
- securing both region’s shared interests
- maritime cooperation
- contributing to Indo-Pacific security and prosperity
A 2020 data showed that 92,400 Indonesian-born people were living in Australia, with 23% of this population residing in Melbourne.