Deputy for Marketing at the Tourism Ministry, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, stated that Indonesia AirAsia is one of the strategic partners of the ministry.
Earlier, the airlines had also launched the Darwin-Denpasar route in March 2025, making four Indonesia AirAsia routes connecting Australia and Bali currently available.
"We hope Indonesia AirAsia's international and domestic routes would encourage the growth of tourist visits from Australia to Indonesia, especially to regenerative and priority Indonesian destinations such as Bali, Lombok, Labuan Bajo, Medan, Yogyakarta, and others," Marthini stated.
Indonesia AirAsia officially commenced operations on Thursday, June 26, 2025, marked by the landing of flight QZ421 at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali. Air Asia flight QZ421 will operate four times a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Through the Bali hub, Australian tourists can also continue their journeys to various attractive destinations across Indonesia, thereby increasing their stay duration and spending during their visit. These destinations range from Jakarta as the center of national activities, to Labuan Bajo, which serves as the gateway to the iconic Komodo National Park.
This route is expected to attract tourists not only from Adelaide but also from South Australia and its surroundings.
"The Tourism Ministry is optimistic that this route will contribute significantly to reaching the target of 1.9 million Australian tourists this year," Marthini stated.
Australia remains one of Indonesia's largest foreign tourist markets, consistently showing a positive growth trend annually. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, Australian tourist visits rose 17 percent from the previous year, reaching 1.67 million visits in 2024.
Between January and April 2025, the number of Australian tourist visits reached 511,678, with 474,277 specifically visiting Bali, marking a seven percent increase compared to the 441,162 visits in the same period of 2024. This data reaffirms Bali's enduring status as a popular destination for Australian tourists.
Acting President Director of Indonesia AirAsia, Captain Achmad Sadikin Abdurachman, believes that every Indonesia AirAsia flight not only transports passengers but also embodies a spirit of collaboration and diverse potential. This includes fostering cultural exchange, economic cooperation, and two-way tourism development.
He projected the Adelaide-Denpasar route would bring over 74 thousand Australian tourists annually.
Besides being a major tourist destination, Bali plays an important role as a regional connectivity hub in AirAsia's flight network, with easy connecting flights to other destinations across Indonesia.
"We are proud to present Indonesia AirAsia's first flight from Bali to Adelaide. In addition to offering direct access to Bali, which has always been a favorite destination, this new service also expands affordable travel options for passengers to more than 130 destinations in AirAsia's network across Asia and beyond," Abdurachman stated.
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Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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