Flights will commence on Monday, October 9 and will initially cost $259 one way. 

Outbound flights will depart Orange at 9.50am and arriving at Melbourne’s Essendon Airport at 11.35am. The return service will leave t Essendon Airport at 12.20pm and arrive in Orange at 1.55pm.

Andrew Major, CEO of Fly Corporate, said the success of the airline’s Orange-to-Brisbane route had encouraged the expansion.

“Following commencement of our direct Brisbane-to-Orange flights in February, the requirement for a similar service between Melbourne and Orange was apparent,” he said.

“The success of the Brisbane service combined with consultation with stakeholders has provided the necessary impetus for the implementation of the new service.

“The proposed schedule will complement the existing strong ties between the two cities.”

The decision to fly in and out of Essendon Airport – 15 kilometres and approximately a 25-minute drive from the Melbourne CBD – was common sense.

“Essendon stood out for us with its close proximity to the Melbourne CBD, as well as other great advantages, such as extremely economical car parking rates and no airport congestion,” he explained.

“For passengers inbound to Melbourne wanting to connect on to other domestic and international destinations, there is a free shuttle bus connecting the two airports”.

Orange Mayor John Davis was thrilled by the news.

“Orange is a very connected regional city and our business community is routinely travelling interstate,” Cr Davis said.

“For this group time is money, and these direct flights are going to save them so much time.

“A survey of passengers at the Orange airport found that Melbourne was the most requested destination, closely followed by Brisbane. It’s tremendous that since then an operator has come along who can meet this demand.”

Tickets are on sale from today at www.flycorporate.com.au or travel agents.