Flights resume : Virgin announces direct flights to Sydney and Melbourne in massive capacity boost

Coffs Harbour Airport today welcomed the announcement that Virgin Australia will resume its service to Sydney and launch a new seasonal service to Melbourne, coinciding with Summer holidays and easing restrictions.

The seasonal service from Melbourne to Coffs Harbour will run from 18 November to 25 April and operate up to seven services a week, expected to provide more than 2,400 seats a week between the two destinations.

The Sydney to Coffs Harbour service recommences on 11 November and will run at least daily, with up to 14 flights a week, injecting almost 5,000 seats each week between the two destinations.

Across the two routes, the major capacity boost will deliver more than 310,000 seats a year. Both services will be operated by a 176 seat Boeing 737 jet.

“Virgin Australia is thrilled to re-introduce services from Sydney and Melbourne to Coffs Harbour in time for the busy Christmas holiday period,” said Mr Hartley.

“Virgin Australia will provide over 14,500 seats each month to Coffs Harbour for our guests to experience the beautiful beaches, incredible National Parks and of course visit the Big Banana!

“We know many travellers, particularly those from New South Wales and Victoria, will be excited to experience the freedom to travel again and our flights will not only provide an opportunity to explore more of our wonderful country, but to reunite with friends and family in time for the summer holidays.

“The flights will provide a massive injection into the local tourism economy, not to mention allow more Virgin Australia team members to return to the skies, which they have dearly missed the past few months.”

Frank Mondello, General Manager for Coffs Harbour Airport, said he was thrilled to welcome the Virgin services to Coffs Harbour Airport, which showed a strong vote of confidence in the Coffs region and Coffs Harbour Airport.

“We believe by building more connections and supporting growth, Coffs Harbour Airport will play a critical role in helping the region recover from COVID-19 and reach its potential as a vibrant hub,” Mr Mondello said.

“The Virgin services provide more choice and frequency for passengers travelling between Coffs and the southern capitals of Sydney and Melbourne, and will cater to significant pent up travel demand from local people keen to connect to family and friends and the growing business travel market.

“Of course, we know the Coffs Coast is a highly sought after holiday destination with its beautiful beaches, stunning hinterland and relaxed coastal villages.

“We expect these services will be really popular with high-value travellers who stay longer and spend more, which will be a welcome boost to many of our tourism businesses who have been doing it tough over recent months.”

To celebrate, Virgin Australia is offering the following one-way Economy sale fares from now until 11:59PM AEST today, or until sold out:

Sydney – Coffs Harbour//Coffs Harbour – Sydney from just $45

Melbourne – Coffs Harbour//Coffs Harbour – Melbourne from just $85

All fares can be booked at virginaustralia.com and include Velocity Frequent Flyer Points and up to double Status Credits as part of the Velocity’s promotional bonus Status offer launched last month.

As yet information on a possible ramp-up of Port Macquarie services is not available.