British Airways adds daily London-Melbourne flights

British Airways today announced an expanded long-haul network, including daily flights from London to Melbourne (above).

The airline’s long-haul route network is set to grow by 9%, it said in a media statement with new destinations including Melbourne and Colombo in Sri Lanka.

The expansion also includes a boost to winter capacity on several popular leisure routes including Cape Town, Tokyo and Bridgetown in Barbados.

As a result of the situation in the Middle East. British Airways has added seven extra return services to Bangkok and Singapore in the last week and will continue to review its schedule and add additional flights to destinations as needed, the airline said.

“We’re delighted to announce sizeable growth to our flying schedule for winter 2026, including two notable new destinations that I’m confident will prove popular with our customers," said Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer.

"We’re also increasing services across several high-demand routes around the world. Together, these changes represent a significant investment in our long-haul leisure network, adding even more options and choice for our customers.

"Elsewhere, we know there is short-term demand as a result of the situation in the Middle East. To support customers with alternative routes from popular destinations we have already launched additional flights, and we will continue to monitor customer demand and add flights to our schedule if we’re able to do so.”

BA will commence daily flights to Melbourne in Australia from January 9, 2027, launching in time for the Australian Open and the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Flights will operate year-round from London Heathrow, via Kuala Lumpur.

Customers will have a choice of four cabin classes: World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy), Club World (business class) and First.

Jetstar to launch low-cost direct flights to Sri Lanka

Jetstar has launched Australia's first low-cost direct flights to Sri Lanka. 

Flights will take off for the first time in August next year, with the launch of a direct low-cost service from Melbourne to the South Asian nation’s capital, Colombo.

Jetstar will become the first Australian airline to operate this route, flying three times a week between Melbourne and Colombo and offering more than 100,000 seats a year starting from $315. 

The year-round service will be operated by Jetstar’s fleet of 11 widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are progressively being upgraded to overhaul both the economy and business class cabins.

The interior refit includes more than doubling the number of business class seats and installing wifi so customers can stream entertainment to their own devices.

The addition of a new lie-flat crew rest area to allow flights of up to 16 hours will open the door to other long-haul destinations in the future. 

Seats for the new flights went on sale at midday with one-way fares available between Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Colombo from only $315 at jetstar.com.

“Colombo is an incredible destination, and from August next year, we’re excited to be making it easier for Aussies to experience everything the beautiful country of Sri Lanka has to offer,@ said Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully. 

“This new route out of our home base of Melbourne is part of a huge growth phase for Jetstar. We’ve added new destinations, more aircraft and we’re continuing to expand our international network to give travellers even more choice and opportunities to take off for less.”

Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer Lorie Argus welcomed the new flights. 

“We're thrilled to see Sri Lanka, one of the region’s fastest-growing destinations, become Jetstar's 10th international destination from Melbourne," Argus said. 

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