AirAsia Indonesia launched its inaugural flight to Cairns Airport (CNS) on August 15, 2024.
Flight QZ 542 departed Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport at around 23:45 local time on August 14, 2024 and arrived in Cairns at 06:00 local time the following day.
The A320 aircraft was met with a water salute, and after reloading outbound passengers from Cairns, headed back to Bali just after 07:00 local time.
Flight services between Bali and Cairns are being offered three times a week on the following schedules:
According to Cairns Airport, the services will inject more than 28,000 seats into the Cairns market during the first year.
“AirAsia is one of the world’s most recognisable airline brands and is renowned in the industry as Asia’s first low cost, low fare carrier. We are thrilled to welcome AirAsia Indonesia to Cairns Airport today, for the first time ever,” Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker said in a statement.
“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.
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,” Barker added.
Evidently, AirAsia Indonesia sees the new route as an opportunity to promote tourism in both destinations.
“We see great demand, not only for this new direct route. Everyone loves Bal,i but at the same time we see many opportunities to promote the incredible tourism highlights in the far north of Queensland to our international guests like the Great Barrier Reef – one of the seven wonders of the world – and to visit the amazing world-renowned rainforests,” AirAsia Indonesia Chief Executive Officer Veranita Yosephine said.
Yosephine added: “Conversely, Indonesia and Asia in general continues to be a leisure favorite region for Australians wanting an affordable and unique experience.”
