Newcastle Airport Books its First International Flights

The newly developed international terminal at Newcastle Williamtown Airport (NTL) has secured its first airline customer, with Jetstar announcing it will start three times per week flights to Denpasar (DPS) on October 21, 2025.

While Newcastle Airport has previously had seasonal services running to New Zealand from a fairly spartan international facility, this is the first year-round flight and the first from the new AUD110 million (USD71.1 million) international arrivals and departures zone.

The Denpasar flights are also backed by the New South Wales Government's Aviation Attraction Fund.

"We're thrilled to be the airline to launch Newcastle's first international flights in more than five years with our new direct service from Newcastle to Bali," said Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully. "We want to thank Newcastle Airport and the NSW Government for their support in making travel more accessible." 

Jetstar is a major player on routes between Australia and Bali, and Tully said the airline was looking to grow. But the capacity ceiling between Denpasar and Australia's big four airports, Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), Brisbane (BNE), and Perth (PER) is now reached. But there is unrestricted capacity into other airports, such as Newcastle.

The support from Newcastle Airport and the NSW Government helps mitigate the financial risks of starting this flight. The government argues the expanded terminal at Newcastle will unlock major opportunities for the region, welcoming more visitors and turbocharging local tourism and trade.

"Not only will this strategic investment boost the capacity of Newcastle Airport, it will open the Hunter and the Mid-North Coast to a major South-East Asian transport hub and a wealth of opportunity," said NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper.

"We thank the NSW Government for their partnership in making this international connection a reality for the Hunter region and the Federal Government for supporting the build of our international terminal," said Newcastle Airport CEO Linc Horton.

The Federal Government chipped in half the terminal's redevelopment cost, with the remaining AUD55 million (USD35.5 million) paid for by commercial loans taken out by the airport.

The expansion of Newcastle Airport, currently the second busiest in New South Wales, will facilitate the introduction of new domestic and international routes and address capacity for forecast growth to around 2.3 million passengers a year by fiscal 2028.

Jetstar says the flights, to be operated by a 232-passenger long-range A321neo, will depart Newcastle mid-morning every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for a lunchtime arrival at Denpasar.

The return flights will operate Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, leaving later in the evening for a next day breakfast-time landing at Newcastle. The operating flight to Denpasar is JQ88 and the flight to Newcastle is JQ89.

Photo: Jetstar