Virgin Australia’s first Melbourne-Doha flights are finally here. The airline’s highly anticipated, long-haul service between Victoria and Qatar launches today from Tullamarine, giving Australian travellers a new way to fly to the Middle East and beyond.
Using Qatar Airways metal, the new service departs Melbourne at 5.10pm, arriving in Doha at 11.25pm.
Virgin Australia passengers flying on board flight VA7/8 will experience Qatar’s award-winning service as part of a wet-lease arrangement with the Doha-based carrier. The airline was named the world’s top airline by Skytrax earlier this year.
With the launch of Virgin’s inaugural MEL-DOH service, VA will operate more than 19,000 flights and offer 3.2 million seats between 15 December 2025 and 26 January 2026 – a record for the carrier.
“Our new Melbourne–Doha service is a major milestone for Virgin Australia and for the millions of Australians who want more choice and value when travelling internationally,” Virgin Australia CEO Dave Emerson said.
“Together with Qatar Airways, we’re able to offer competitive airfares between Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, while creating new economic opportunities that will benefit tourism, trade and Australian jobs.
“Virgin Australia continues to go from strength to strength, and with the expansion of our international network to include four daily services between Australia and Doha, we are set to have our busiest summer on record, with more than 19,000 flights and 3.2 million seats scheduled.”
In addition, Velocity Frequent Flyers will be able to earn and redeem points on the new service.
“For Velocity members, the addition of the new Melbourne-Doha service means members can earn and redeem Points, while building on our access to more than 600 destinations around the world,” Emerson remarked.
Qatar Airways Group CEO Mohammed Al-Meer said the launch underlined the carriers’ “shared commitment to giving Australians greater choice, better value and world-class premium service”.
“Qatar Airways is proud to mark an important milestone with Virgin Australia as we welcome the inaugural Melbourne–Doha service to our award-winning Hamad International Airport – the final new route in our 2025 expansion,” he stated.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said Virgin’s long-haul return to Melbourne would be a win for travel and trade.
“Melbourne is now the only Australian city to enjoy triple-daily flights to Doha, bringing travellers
more choice and easier access to destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the
Americas,” she stated.
“While this announcement is great news for travellers, the belly of the plane is equally as
important for freight.”
According to Virgin, the new service is forecast to inject more than $190 million into Victoria’s visitor economy each year.
Meanwhile, Corporate Traveller says the new Virgin flights, which add to Qatar’s own double-daily service (effectively making it a triple-daily for Qatar as well), are a big boost for Aussie business travellers.
“This is brilliant news for our SME customers who’ve been asking for more flexibility on Europe and Middle East routes,” Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley said.
“At the end of the day, this comes down to choice and convenience. Businesses want options that work for their needs, and this expansion delivers exactly that.”
The new service follows Virgin’s inaugural Sydney-Doha and Brisbane-Doha services launched earlier this year.
To mark the milestone, Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways will offer up to 15% off fares to the Middle East and Europe for selected travel dates between 27 January 2026 and 16 June 2026. The sale ends at 11:59pm AEST 4 December 2025, unless sold out prior.
