Some 18 months after bankrupt Bonza grounded its Avalon Airport flights, Melbourne’s second busiest airport has secured a second airline.
Commencing next month, regional Aussie carrier Fly Pelican Airlines will connect the Victorian hub with Canberra, with a year-round, three-times-weekly operation.
“We’re proud to announce a new chapter in Avalon Airport’s growth,” the airport stated on social media.
“From October 26, 2025, Avalon will launch direct services to Canberra in partnership with Fly Pelican Airlines.”
“Operating three times a week – Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays – this new route provides a convenient link between Geelong, Melbourne’s west and the nation’s capital.”
According to Avalon Airport CEO Ari Suss, the new service “marks an exciting step forward in strengthening regional connectivity and supporting travel for business, government and leisure”.
For Fly Pelican, flying to Melbourne Avalon means “easier parking, shorter queues and stress-free check-ins” for its business and leisure travellers.
Tickets for the new service are available at flypelican.com.au.
More to come?
Avalon Airport, located about 45 minutes from Melbourne city, was once a busier hub.
In addition to Bonza, Tigerair Australia flew regular services to the airport from multiple destinations until it folded in 2020, while Malaysian-based carrier AirAsia X linked Avalon with Kuala Lumpur with double-daily flights from December 2018 until the early months of COVID.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet was also reportedly set to commence a Ho Chi Minh City-Avalon service, while other Asian destinations were also on the cards.
In 2023, in a Karryon exclusive, then Avalon Airport CEO Tony Brun said the hub was “talking to multiple international airlines who are increasingly seeing our strong [passenger] catchment and value proposition”.
He added that discussions involved three full-service carriers with “good on-connection routes”. However, those talks had not produced any new services by 2024, despite one airline being “at the point of committing”.
“We continue to have good discussions with various internationals, but getting to close-out point is still taking some time,” Brun told Karryon last year.
Other regional routes
In other regional aviation news, Canberra Airport has announced Link Airways would resume its non-stop seasonal service between the nation’s capital and Coffs Harbour from 18 September, with the twice weekly flights running until late January 2026.
With the new service, Link aims to provide Canberrans with an easy escape to the NSW Mid North Coast during the spring and summer months.
Still on the NSW coast, and this week saw the launch of the first-ever non-stop flights between Newcastle and Perth.
Backed by the NSW Government and Destination NSW, Newcastle Airport calls the new Qantas three-weekly service “a game-changer for business, tourism and visiting friends and family”.
QantasLink will also start flights between Perth and Hobart on 26 September.
