Queensland travellers will find it easier than ever to get to Australia’s favourite Indonesian island with a new route from the low-cost carrier.
AirAsia Indonesia has announced its first-ever direct flights between Bali and the gateway to Tropical North Queensland with the Cairns flights starting on August 14.
The flights mark the first time that AirAsia has offered Queensland travellers an easy an affordable link to Bali. AirAsia Indonesia is part of the larger AirAsia Group based in Kuala Lumpur, and flights between Cairns and Bali also connect to the extensive AirAsia Group network.
AirAsia consists of seven airlines, flying to over 130 destinations in South East Asia and beyond.
Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef
“Cairns offers our guests from Bali and across Asia breathtaking scenery, including the world famous Great Barrier Reef, ancient rainforests, unique culture, delicious seafood and more,” said AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine of the airline’s newest route. She added that Asia remains a top destination for Australians offering unique experiences at affordable prices but that she hopes the new route also encourages Australian travellers to move beyond Bali.
“While Bali remains one of Australia’s favourite leisure destinations, we aim to promote the many other undiscovered Asian wonders,” said Yosephine. “Indonesia alone has so many emerging gems for Queenslanders to experience including the world famous Labuan Bajo (Komodo Island), home of the Komodo Dragon, Tanjung Setia Surf-Beach in Lampung and the New Capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan.”
Connecting Queensland to Asia
Yosephine added that this new route is also an important low-cost entranceway to more leisure and adventure across Asia
“It connects travellers to Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea and other popular destinations across our Group network. Starting with three weekly services, we hope to grow the number of flights in the future, based on demand,” she said.
Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker said the new service would open up a raft of connections across Asia.
“This announcement is great news for locals, with more flights to Bali. Importantly, this service will also open up one-stop, low fare travel to Tropical North Queensland from some of the largest nations in Southeast Asia, on an airline that is well known in those markets,” Richard said. “These flights will provide direct connectivity from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and domestic Indonesia, including Jakarta and Surabaya, via Denpasar to Cairns.”
The service will inject more than 28,000 seats into the Cairns market in the first year.
