TransNusa to fly competitive Melbourne – Denpasar route

By Andrew Curran.

One of Australia’s most competitive international air routes is becoming even more contested, with Indonesian carrier TransNusa announcing it will start flying on the Melbourne (MEL) – Denpasar (DPS) city pair from October 18.

TransNusa will become the sixth operator on the route. It will fly four weekly round-trips using one of its 174-passenger A320-200s. The flights will add more than 70,000 seats annually on what is, according to the most recently available Australian Government data, the sixth busiest air route in and out of Australia.

TransNusa’s debut on the route will also make it Australia’s most competitive international air route. TransNusa will compete against Garuda Indonesia, Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Batik Air Indonesia. Those airlines are offering a combined 55 round-trips on the route for the seven days starting September 20 – which is also the first week of Victoria’s school holidays.

TransNusa’s stated competitive edge is its ability to fly passengers beyond Denpasar, something Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air Indonesia and Jetstar (to a limited extent) already do.

“We hope to provide passengers not just with a point-to-point flight route but a variety of connecting options that offer passengers a beyond-Bali experience,” TransNusa Group CEO Bernard Francis said.

“From Bali, passengers will have options to connect to exciting island locations… as well as other major destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.”

TransNusa flies to seven airports within Asia from Denpasar, as well as Perth (PER).

TransNusa joins the fray on a busy route

According to Aero South Pacific’s Melbourne Airport Brief, the airline becomes the 47th scheduled passenger carrier to fly into Melbourne, which is Australia’s second busiest airport, handling 37,037,561 passengers in the 12 months to April 30, 2026.

“We’re pleased to welcome TransNusa to the Melbourne Airport family and happy to be able to offer holidaymakers extra choice in time for summer,” said Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus.

Australian Government data reveals that 4,662,119 people travelled on the Australia – Indonesia route in the 12 months to May 30, 2026. Most travelled to and from Denpasar. The same data shows that 1,141,228 of those passengers travelled on the Melbourne – Denpasar city pair, up 6% on the previous 12-month period.

The Sydney  – Denpasar city pair doesn’t make the top ten busiest (it is serviced by five airlines). However, the Perth – Denpasar city pair is even busier than the Melbourne – Denpasar city pair despite Perth having less than half of Melbourne’s population.

The data shows that 1,163,733 passengers flew on the Perth – Denpasar city pair in the 12 months to May 30. Five carriers (if you differentiate between Batik Air Indonesia and Batik Air Malaysia) work the Perth – Denpasar route, including TransNusa, which operates thrice-daily round-trips.

“Bali has long been popular with Australians because it offers something for everyone at every price point,” says Argus, attempting to explain Bali’s perennial appeal to Australians.

More granular data shows that 97,847 passengers flew on the Melbourne – Denpasar route in May 2026, the second busiest international route following Melbourne – Singapore (SIN), with 138,663. The latter route is Australia’s second most travelled city pair.

“While TransNusa is a new airline for Melbourne Airport, it has been flying to Perth since early 2025 and understands how Australians like to travel,” said Argus.

Photo: TransNusa.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com