Virgin Australia To Launch New Perth-Gold Coast Flights In Time For Christmas

The seasonal service will be operated by Virgin Australia's Boeing 737-800 aircraft and will fly twice weekly from 13 December 2018 until 26 January 2019.

Virgin Australia General Manager, Network, Revenue and Alliances, Russell Shaw, said: "Virgin Australia is pleased to be introducing a direct day time flight between Perth and the Gold Coast, demonstrating our commitment to providing our customers with more opportunities to explore Australia over the holiday period.

"This new service will help to drive tourism in Perth and the Gold Coast and we look forward to providing ease of travel between two very popular locations during the summer holidays," Mr Shaw said.

Gold Coast Airport Chief Operating Officer, Marion Charlton, said the new service came as Virgin Australia also added capacity in key markets including Melbourne and Sydney during the summer months, which would benefit the Gold Coast tourism industry.

"It is great to see more capacity added between the Gold Coast and Perth in time for our busiest travel period. We look forward to welcoming more Western Australians to the Gold Coast and giving locals more choice when planning their holidays in Western Australia," Ms Charlton said.

Perth Airport Chief Corporate Services Officer, Debra Blaskett, said the new route is another example of Virgin Australia's long-term commitment to Western Australia.

"This is another convenient and affordable travel option for Western Australian travellers and comes close on the heels of Virgin Australia's new direct Perth-Hobart route.

"It's been great to work with Virgin Australia to provide what we think is the best domestic terminal and best passenger experience in Australia and to give them the confidence to develop new and expanded routes," Ms Blaskett said.

This seasonal route will complement Virgin Australia's new Perth-Hobart service, which operated its first inaugural flight from Perth Airport yesterday morning.

In addition to the new Perth-Gold Coast service, Virgin Australia is also adding 27,000 seats to its Gold Coast services during the Christmas travel period, to cater to increased demand for travel to and from this region, including:

• Up to seven return flights per week between Auckland and the Gold Coast;
• Up to seven return flights per week between Canberra and the Gold Coast;
• Up to 10 return flights per week between Adelaide and the Gold Coast;
• Up to 54 return flights per week between Melbourne and the Gold Coast; and
• Up to 61 return flights per week between Sydney and the Gold Coast.

Refer to full documentation in the attachments box below.