Jetstar direct flights in bid to beat Covid delays

After a 15-month delay forced by Covid-19, Jetstar expects to soon launch direct flights between Melbourne and Margaret River.

Meelup Beach in WA’s Margaret River region. Picture: Francis Andrijich

After a 15-month delay forced by Covid-19, Jetstar expects to soon launch direct flights between Melbourne and the popular winemaking and tourist region of Margaret River, in a move expected to add $40m to the local area.

The three flights a week between Tullamarine and the upgraded airport at Busselton, 2½ hours from Perth, are scheduled to begin on July 10, with Jetstar saying it is “committed to the route”, which tourist officials estimate will bring about 60,000 new visitors to the region over the next three years.

That traffic translates to an extra $40m for the southwest region of Western Australia over that period of time.

The Busselton Margaret River Airport is located in Busselton, about 40 minutes’ drive from Margaret River and one of the world’s top winegrowing regions, boasting labels like Vasse Felix and Leeuwin Estate.

The airport is also a gateway to the big surging coastline and dramatic scenery of Yallingup and Dunsborough.

Margaret River is only three hours by road from Perth but the direct flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays mean that visitors from the eastern states can bypass travel to the capital for shorter, focused trips to the area.

The direct flights were first scheduled to begin in March last year, but the strict border closures imposed by the WA government disrupted those plans.

Borders were relaxed after the state election in March this year, but the lockdowns in Melbourne again delayed a start.

More recently, Jetstar announced the inaugural flight would be on Saturday but the new Covid restrictions forced a week’s delay.

Passengers booked for this weekend can reschedule or take a refund.

A spokesperson for the airport said that its infrastructure could handle air services to other interstate and international destinations “so it is hoped that other direct flight destinations will follow”.

City of Busselton Mayor Grant Henley said there was an appetite for travel within Australia, particularly people from the east coast keen to visit the southwest.

“Our tourism operators are ready to welcome expected visitors, who have been hit hard during Covid,” he said.