The inaugural AirAsia Indonesia flight from Bali has touched down in Cairns.
Flight QZ542 landed from Denpasar at 6:10am on Thursday aboard the A320-200 PK-AZD, leaving around an hour later. Announced in June, the return flights between Cairns and Bali will operate three times per week, adding more than 28,000 seats to the Cairns market in the first year.
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“This new service will offer immense benefits to our region and many key industries. Providing seamless, affordable connections to Cairns from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and domestic Indonesia will bolster visitation and business opportunities from these major, populous markets,” said Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker.
“Bali is also a highly popular destination for locals, and we know this new service has been well-received by holidaymakers across Tropical North Queensland.”
Veranita Yosephine, CEO of AirAsia Indonesia, said the airline is seeing strong demand, not only for the new non-stop route.
“Indonesia and Asia in general continues to be a leisure favourite region for Australians wanting an affordable and unique experience,” she said.
“We are thrilled to touch down in Cairns for the first time ever today, with great value services for local residents to Bali and onto over 130 destinations on the AirAsia Group network.
“At the same time, we are connecting millions of Indonesians and many more millions of guests from Asia and beyond via Bali to Tropical North Queensland’s gateway.
“We are committed to providing seamless travel options and great value to our passengers, ensuring they have the best possible journey whether they are visiting for leisure or business.”
The service was enabled by the Queensland Government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), with the government and tourism bodies expecting Cairns to be an attractive destination for the growing urban Asian middle class, said Tourism Minister and Member for Cairns Michael Healy.
“Having a new direct route into Cairns from Denpasar opens up the Far North to more tourists and international students from across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,” he said.
“Visitors will be able to plan an extended stay in Queensland and discover just how much this beautiful state has to offer.
“The flights will also provide another avenue for our local exporters to deliver their goods such as fish and crustaceans, avocadoes, mangoes, melons, citrus and blueberries to some major South-East Asian markets.”
Customers can connect through Bali to other destinations in AirAsia’s network.
