Major Airline Announces New Direct Australia-Bali Flight 

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It has been a big couple of weeks for aviation news in Bali. Major airlines have been announcing new direct flight services for the Island of the Gods left, right, and center.

Bali lovers now have even more affordable ways to arrive at the vacation of their dreams. 

Australian travelers remain the most frequent international arrivals into I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and both tourism leaders in Indonesia, and airlines are always on the lookout for ways to strengthen the special relationship between the two regions. 

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Low-cost airline AirAisa has just announced that starting on the 14th August 2024 they will be launching a direct flight service between Cairns and Denpasar three times a week.

The CEO of AirAsia Indonesia, Veranita Yosephine told reporters “Cairns has much to offer our millions of guests from Bali and across Asia with stunning views of the world-famous Great Barrier Reef.”

Yosephine added that “the opening of this flight route “could open up opportunities for residents of Cairns and surrounding cities, such as Mackay and Townsville, to fly to Bali. Even though Bali is one of Australia’s favorite tourist destinations, Indonesia has many other destinations.”

“Among them are Labuan Bajo, Komodo Island, Tanjung Setia Surf Beach in Lampung, and the new capital of Indonesia in East Kalimantan.”

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Tickets are on sale now and are set to be snapped up quickly by Bali lovers based in Cairns seeking an affordable escape to Bali this high season and beyond.

Speaking separately, Vedi Kurnia Buana, the Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, shared support for the new flight connection between Australia and Bali.

Buana said, “We appreciate Indonesia AirAsia’s efforts in supporting the growth of the tourism industry and expanding connectivity between Indonesia and Australia through direct flights connecting Bali with Cairns.”

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The Tourism Minster for Queensland, Michael Healy, also spoke with reporters about the new flight service.

He said, “The Far North (of Australia) remains the main destination for visitors who want to see how much Queensland has to offer. We also believe this new route will open up greater opportunities to establish cooperation and strengthen relations between the two countries.”

The three-weekly service between Cairns and Denpasar will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Yosephine also suggested that this flight frequency could increase as demand for the route grows. The outbound flight from Cairns to Bali will depart at 7.05 am, touching down in Denpasar at 9.45 am. The return journey will take off from Denpasar at 23.45 pm, arriving back in Cairns at 6.25 am local time.

This is not the only new flight service a low-cost airline has launched between Bali and Australia in recent days. Batik Air has just launched a new direct flight service from Canberra that too will operate three times a week.

Speaking to reporters, the Head of Aviation at Canberra Airport, Michael Thomson, said, “This is exciting news for Canberrans and residents of the wider region. Direct flights to Bali not only offer easy access but also open up opportunities to explore various interesting destinations in Indonesia.”

The Bali-Canberra service will run on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Batik Air, like AirAsia Indonesia, has its sights set on offering even better connectivity between Australia and Bali and emerging travel destinations around Indonesia in the near future.

Group Strategy Director for Batik Air, Chandran Rama Muthy, told reporters when the service was first announced a few months ago that the airline has big plans to connect tourists to Bali and beyond. 

He said, “Our objective is not only to attract travelers from Canberra to Bali but also to unveil exciting opportunities for exploration in Indonesia’s diverse secondary destinations, which are served by Lion Air.”

“We are dedicated to enhancing connectivity and making travel more accessible for passengers from Australia and Indonesia, and this new route reaffirms our dedication to that objective.”

Destinations like Labuan Bajo, Lombok, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Makassar, and Manado have all been identified as priority flight destinations for BatikAir when planning new flight routes from Australia.