The news was announced by the carrier yesterday (August 7), citing that the market was “just not big enough” to make the service viable.
In “optimising” its services, from March 23, 2016, Virgin Australia will withdraw from the following the following routes:
- Adelaide-Denpasar: five return services per week
- Melbourne-Denpasar: daily return services
- Perth-Denpasar: eight return services per week
However, from March 23, 2016, Virgin Australia’s fully-owned subsidiary budget carrier Tigerair Australia will use three all-economy configured Boeing 737-800 aircraft to offer the following services to Denpasar (Bali), subject to relevant regulatory and operational approvals being secured:
- Adelaide-Denpasar: five return services per week
- Melbourne-Denpasar: daily return services
- Perth-Denpasar: daily return services
“These changes will be effective in Virgin Australia’s booking system from 10am AEST today, Friday 7 August 2015,” said a release issued by the company yesterday. (See release issued here).
“Customers who have already booked on these services for travel after the last flights will be contacted by their travel provider with alternative options.”
The airline’s international operations reported an underlying pre-tax loss of AUS$69 million for the fiscal year to June 30, compared with a AUS$49mn loss a year earlier, reports The Bangkok Post. (See report here.)
Virgin said it expected the international business to be profitable by the end of the 2016-17 financial year, the report added.
“Overall, Australia’s second-largest airline lost A$94 million, an improvement from a loss of $356 million the year before,” the report said.
Read Virgin Australia’s report of financial results for 2015, click here.