New year-round Colombo–Melbourne service adds more than 100,000 seats and connects Sri Lanka to Jetstar’s Australia and New Zealand network 

Australian low-fares carrier Jetstar has officially arrived in Sri Lanka, with its inaugural service landing at Bandaranaike International Airport  

The launch marks the first direct low-fares connection between Sri Lanka and Australia, closing a long-standing gap in capacity between the two countries. Operating three times a week throughout the year, the route is expected to deliver more than 100,000 seats annually between Colombo and Melbourne. 

Victoria is home to Australia’s largest Sri Lankan community, and the new service is expected to be especially popular with those visiting friends and relatives, as well as holidaymakers in both directions. 

Beyond Melbourne, passengers can connect through Jetstar’s extensive domestic network to Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Tasmania, Auckland, Queenstown and more with a single connection. 

“We’re so excited to be able to begin operating to Sri Lanka and to give Sri Lankans and Australians a low-cost connection between our two countries,” said Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully. “We’ve already seen strong demand for flights, and Victoria is home to Australia’s largest Sri Lankan community, so we’re expecting the route to be popular with holidaymakers and those visiting family and friends. We’re looking forward to becoming a familiar sight at Bandaranaike.” 

A boost for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector 

Hayleys Advantis, Jetstar’s General Sales Agent in Sri Lanka, said the route addresses a long-standing need for direct capacity between the two markets. 

“Until now, travelling between Colombo and Australia has meant connecting through a third country at a higher cost. Three weekly widebody services on a year-round schedule change that, with capacity that holds through the off season rather than only at peak,” said Shano Sabar, Deputy Managing Director, Hayleys Advantis. 

“For Sri Lanka, it opens a large outbound leisure market at a point when the tourism sector needs consistent inbound capacity. As Jetstar’s General Sales Agent here, our role is to support the route commercially and operationally so that it performs in both directions.” 

Flown by the Dreamliner 

The service is operated by Jetstar’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The airline began a full overhaul of its 787 economy and business class cabins this year, more than doubling the number of business class seats and introducing Wi-Fi so customers can stream entertainment to their own devices. A new lie-flat crew rest area will also allow the aircraft to fly for up to 16 hours, opening the door to further long-haul destinations in the future. As the upgraded aircraft are progressively rolled out, some flights will operate with refreshed cabins and others with the existing 787 configuration. 

Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne is renowned for its coffee culture, art-lined laneways, world-class dining and marquee sporting events including the Australian Open and the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. 

Launch fares are currently available at jetstar.com, with a limited-time sale running until 31 August 2026.