Jetstar’s Sydney service arrives in Margaret River

The inaugural flight, JQ898 from Sydney, took off at 11:23am Sydney time on Tuesday. The route, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, will add 50,000 seats per year between Sydney and WA’s wine country, according to Jetstar’s executive manager customer, Jenn Armor.

“Close to two years ago Jetstar began flying from Melbourne to Busselton Margaret River and following the success of those flights, which have carried over 100 thousand passengers so far, we’re excited to launch the only direct flights from Sydney to WA’s stunning South West,” she said.

“Holidaymakers from Sydney will be able to fly direct to Margaret River in about five hours for as low as $135 one way, making the region far more accessible for domestic and international tourists from the harbour city.

“We thank the Western Australian Government, the South West Development Commission, Western Australia Tourism and the City of Busselton for their ongoing support of our efforts to grow travel demand to Busselton Margaret River.”

WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the flights will be a “game changer” for tourism in the state’s southwest. Around 95 per cent of visitors to WA arrive by air, meaning its visitor economy – especially in the regions – relies heavily on aviation.

“Supporting more direct connections from domestic and international locations is a key priority for the WA Government and we will continue to encourage more airlines to secure non-stop and direct connections into WA’s regions,” she said.

“The WA Government has worked tirelessly since the pandemic to increase aviation connections and reduce cost of air travel into the regions through the $75 million Aviation Recovery Fund, and we are continuously providing subsidised airfares to encourage travel to WA’s spectacular regions.”

The Melbourne-Busselton route was first announced in 2019 to commence in March of 2020, but was delayed due to COVID-19. WA’s Government has been considering a new terminal at Busselton Margaret River for several years, but put off the expansion in 2020.

According to Regional Development Minister Don Punch, the Government is continuing to invest in the airport.

“The benefits of the WA Government investment in the development of the airport continues to flow on to locals, and we are working with the City of Busselton and other stakeholders on the business case for further development of this regional asset,” he said.

Busselton Margaret River Airport opened on 15 March 1997, and is both owned and operated by the City of Busselton.