Friday 22 May 2026: Virgin Australia has announced a new three-year partnership with the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), becoming the Official Domestic Airline Partner of both competitions as demand for fan travel continues to surge across Australia.
The partnership comes as basketball continues its rapid growth, with more than 1 million Australian participants, 1.2 million attendees last season, and a 20 per cent growth in broadcast viewership year on year.
The partnership will also see Virgin Australia become the Presenting Partner of HoopsFest, one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest annual basketball festivals, set to take place in Perth from 13-17 January, 2027.
With Hoopsfest attendance increasing by an average of 25 per cent each year, Virgin Australia’s 250 weekly return services to Perth are helping fans, players and officials travel to the event, while driving increased visitation and a significant boost to the Western Australian economy.
The new partnership further cements Virgin Australia at the centre of the nation’s sporting landscape, building on partnerships with the AFL, AFLW, Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans Football Club.
To mark the announcement, Virgin Australia has launched a Perth sale over the Hoopsfest weekend, with one-way fares from major Australian cities starting from just $219* one way. The sale fares can be booked here for selected travel dates from today until 11:00pm AEST Saturday 23 May 2026.
- Virgin Australia has today announced a three-year partnership as the Official Domestic Airline Partner of the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
- Virgin Australia will also become the presenting partner of HoopsFest, the league’s largest five-day annual basketball festival in Perth.
- NBL is one of Australia’s fastest-growing sports leagues, with record attendance and double-digit growth in broadcast viewership year-on-year.
- The partnership reinforces the airline’s growing presence across major Australian sports, recently announcing its extended partnership with AFL, AFLW, Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans Football Club.
- The growth of Virgin Australia sporting sponsorships allows it to capture growing demand for fan and team travel across the nation’s major sporting codes.
- To celebrate, Virgin Australia has released sale fares to Perth for Hoopsfest from $219* one-way for selected travel dates here from 11:00am AEST until 11:00pm AEST Saturday 23 May 2026.
More: https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/newsroom/2026/5/-virgin-australia-takes-off-with-major-new-nbl-and-wnbl-partners/
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