Indonesia AirAsia will suspend flights between Bali Denpasar and Cairns Airport from next month, the Queensland hub has confirmed.
The news comes just 12 months after the popular low-cost carrier commenced the route, marking AirAsia Indonesia’s first flights to North Queensland.
“AirAsia Indonesia will cease direct flights between Cairns and Denpasar from Friday 19 September,” Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said in a statement sent to Karryon.
“This is a commercial decision by the airline, based on their network requirements. Affected customers will be notified directly by AirAsia Indonesia, and offered a number of options.”
While airlines often cancel routes due to low demand, Barker said the AirAsia service had been “well-received to date, with solid passenger numbers”.
“While the decision is disappointing, it is also reflective of current industry challenges, including global aircraft availability,” he added.
“Airlines conduct constant network reviews, and must make difficult decisions about how to deploy their fleet.”
In a statement, Indonesia AirAsia CEO Achmad Sadikin Abdurachman defended the move, saying the decision was based on “demand trends and route performance”.
With the airline recently launching an Adelaide-Bali service, he maintains that resources must focus on “sustainable, high-demand operations”.
AirAsia said it had contacted customers with options including refunds, credits and flight changes.
Jetstar is now the only carrier operating a nonstop service between North Queensland and Bali, with four weekly flights from Cairns.
“This is a popular route for both locals and visitors, and our team continues to work closely with airline partners to strengthen our network and explore new opportunities,” Barker said.
Customer complaints
The airline, part of the AirAsia Group, informed passengers via email and text that the year-old route would be axed from 19 September, sparking a wave of frustration among travellers caught out by the decision and the poor communication.
Airlie Beach couple Sandy Henny and Ned Kelly booked flights to Bali for a birthday trip in November and are still waiting for a refund.
“We got an email saying our flights are cancelled. No real explanation, just that they’re optimising their network. There’s no empathy,” Ms Henny told the ABC.
According to The Cairns Post, a Cairns family has been stranded after booking flights to Bali to celebrate two birthdays.
“This was our first proper family holiday, my son turns four while we’re over there and my daughter turns six when we get back,” Alistar Gray said.
The family were flying to Bali with Jetstar, but were supposed to return home with AirAsia.
“We booked these flights the second they came available nine months ago to make sure we had the best price for school holidays, so we were flying with Jetstar for $750 and Air Asia for $1100,” Gray said.
“The new price of return flights [with Jetstar] cost around $3,500 which means not gonna fly out, and we’ll lose our [already paid] flights with Jetstar because they’re non-refundable.”
According to the ABC, social media channels have been filled with similar complaints, with many passengers unsure how or when they will get their money back. Some have also been left scrambling to book return flights on other carriers because their holidays fall after the service ends.
