North Queenslanders, get ready for new non-stop flights to Bali. Commencing 14 August 2024, AirAsia Indonesia will operate a three-times-weekly service between Cairns and Bali’s Denpasar Airport.
The new service will mark the first time AirAsia Indonesia has flown to North Queensland and allow Aussies to connect to the extensive AirAsia Group network, which includes seven airlines flying to more than 130 destinations.
Jetstar is the only other airline connecting Cairns with direct flights to Bali.
Operating on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, flight QZ543 will depart Cairns at 7.05am and arrive in Denpasar at 9.45am, giving travellers either the full day to enjoy in Bali or plenty of options to connect to other flights. The return flight, QZ542, will leave Denpasar at 11.45pm and land in Cairns at 6.25am.
AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine said the new service would help boost two-way tourism between the popular holiday spots.
“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,” she stated.
“At the same time, Asia is a top destination for Australians offering unique experiences at affordable prices.
“While Bali remains one of Australia’s favourite leisure destinations, we aim to promote the many other undiscovered Asian wonders.”
Yosephine said the service also aims to benefit Queensland cities beyond Cairns.
“Residents of Cairns and surrounding cities like Mackay and Townsville can now not only fly to Bali on AirAsia at great value fares, but also access over a hundred destinations in the AirAsia Group network via a short stopover in Bali, as a gateway to key AirAsia hubs including in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,” she said.
“Starting with three weekly services, we hope to grow the number of flights in the future, based on demand.”
Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, Vedi Kurnia Buana said the new route would help strengthen the relationship between Australia and Indonesia.
“We greatly appreciate Indonesia AirAsia’s efforts in supporting the growth of the tourism industry while expanding connectivity between Indonesia and Australia through direct flights connecting Bali with Cairns, two favourite tourist destinations for Australian travellers,” Vedi said.
“In 2023, Indonesia welcomed approximately 1.37 million Australian tourists, showcasing the strong interest of Australian travellers in Indonesia and the appeal of Bali as their primary destination.”
Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said the 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,” he remarked.
“These flights will provide direct connectivity from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and domestic Indonesia, including Jakarta and Surabaya, via Denpasar to Cairns.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said the new service might also appeal to Cairns’ “traditional long-haul markets in Europe and the United Kingdomas well as short-medium haul travellers from Asia and beyond”.
“Tropical North Queensland is a popular destination for the youth and group series markets coming from the UK and Europe and this connection will add further appeal,” he stated.
Tourism Minister Michael Healy said, “This agreement with Asia’s first low-cost, low-fare carrier is another significant milestone for our successful Attracting Aviation Investment Fund and shows that Queensland’s reputation as Australia’s tourism destination of choice is strong”.
To celebrate the new route, AirAsia Indonesia is offering special launch fares starting from AU$159 from Cairns to Bali.
Indonesia AirAsia also operates Perth-Bali and Perth-Jakarta flights.
