Finnair expands its long-haul network and starts flights to Melbourne, Australia next autumn. The route will be operated daily via Bangkok with an Airbus A350 aircraft. The Melbourne route marks a completely new destination for Finnair and connects Australia directly to Finnair’s extensive network via Finnair’s Helsinki hub.

“We are very excited to introduce service to a new continent. By connecting Helsinki and Melbourne, two cities on opposite sides of the world, we can offer a truly unique bridge between the northern and southern hemispheres,” says Christine Rovelli, Chief Revenue Officer at Finnair. “We expect that this new route will appeal to travellers from Europe heading to Australia, as well as Australians exploring northern Europe and beyond.”

The flight is scheduled to depart from Helsinki shortly after midnight, arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon, and continuing to Melbourne after a brief stop, reaching Melbourne the following morning. On the return, flights leave from Melbourne in the afternoon, with a stop in Bangkok in the evening, and land in Helsinki early the next day, aligning with Finnair’s first morning departures across Europe. Besides smooth connections for customers, this structure ensures high operational efficiency and good utilisation of Finnair’s A350 fleet.
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18 DECEMBER 2025 - Nadi, Fiji : Fiji Airways has announced a major expansion of its Australian network with the launch of new direct flights between The Gold Coast (OOL) and Nadi, Fiji (NAN), with special introductory fares on sale now, ahead of the inaugural services on Thursday, 11 June 2026.

Operating three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays with the modern Boeing 737 MAX 8, the new service provides the Gold Coast community with a faster, more convenient connection to Fiji, while offering Fijians a quicker route to the Gold Coast.

The new service, operating in just over three hours, will bring an additional 53,000 seats into the market every year, creating greater connectivity and more opportunities for travellers.
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• Sydney (SYD) to Las Vegas (LAS) will operate as QF55, with the inaugural flight taking off on 29 December 2026 and operating until 12 March 2027*.
• The new route will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft three times per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
• QF55 is scheduled to depart Sydney at 9:00pm and arrive in Las Vegas at 3:55pm (approx. flight time is 13 hours and 55 minutes)

• The airline’s long-haul route network is set to grow by nine per cent*
• New destinations include Melbourne in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka
• Expansion includes boost to winter capacity on several popular leisure routes including Cape Town, Tokyo and Barbados
• In response to the Middle East conflict, the airline also added additional flights to Bangkok and Singapore
• British Airways Holidays notes customers looking for alternative getaways, with an increase of more than 50 per cent in holiday searches for the Caribbean

British Airways has announced a significant planned expansion to its network for winter 2026, with the addition of two new destinations, Melbourne in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka.

In addition, the airline will be adding more flights for winter to Cape Town (South Africa), Haneda (Tokyo), Bridgetown (Barbados), Kingston (Jamaica) and San Jose (Costa Rica). The new schedule reflects a nine per cent* growth in British Airways’ long-haul route network, as the airline continues to invest in providing more choice for customers.
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