Virgin Australia lowers fares to celebrate the launch of four new services in time for the summer, with seats starting at $ 79.

The airline will welcome its Adelaide–Sunshine Coast service, as well as the launch of three brand new Gold Coast services, including flights to Cairns, Launceston and Hobart.

This move is part of an expansion to its domestic network as COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to rise, boosting consumer confidence and reviving a ravaged travel industry.

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All four routes are scheduled to start in December, with the newly added Gold Coast routes alone accounting for over 19,000 extra passengers a month.

The Adelaide to Sunshine Coast service will run four times a week from December 14, allowing more than 5,600 passengers to travel directly between the two cities.

The $ 79 one-way prices are on sale from today through Friday, October 15, unless pre-sold.

Virgin Australia’s chief strategy and transformation officer Alistair Hartley says the new routes also mark a new milestone for the airline.

“Virgin Australia is proud to be the first airline to connect Launceston and the Gold Coast in two decades,” Hartley said.

“As of December, up to 4,224 passengers each month can now enjoy Gold Coast’s spectacular beaches and theme parks and visit Launceston’s lavender estates and the Tamar Valley wine region.”

In addition to being a major victory for tourism operators in the Gold Coast, the news will herald a new chapter for Tasmanians, Mr Hartley adds.

“For Tasmania, Virgin Australia has never before operated to these many mainland ports from Apple Isle,” he says.

“Since September, we have announced six new routes to Tasmania, giving a significant boost to local tourism and over 28,000 extra seats each month.”

The announcement comes a day after Virgin Australia revealed they would be pushes their international flight plan until December 16th.

The airline unveiled the new date for its international Fiji flight plan, saying the date would better match the start of the summer holiday period. Flights to Bali and New Zealand is expected to resume in 2022.

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