Sydney Airport has welcomed low-cost carrier Indonesia AirAsia X for the first time, as the airline launched its five-weekly Sydney-Bali (Denpasar) service.
“We’re pleased to welcome Indonesia AirAsia X to Sydney, providing more choice for Sydneysiders travelling to Bali, as well as greater connectivity to Indonesian and Asian destinations from the airline’s Bali hub,” Sydney Airport managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Mather said.
“We’re thrilled that Sydney Airport is now the world’s leading low-cost long-haul airport, with five international low-cost long-haul carriers.”
Bali is Australia’s largest outbound leisure market. Around 416,000 Australians travelled from Sydney to Indonesia in the 12 months to July 2015, an increase of eight per cent on the prior corresponding period.
“More than 555,000 passengers travelled between Sydney and Indonesia in the past year, and this new service will significantly increase capacity to one of Sydney’s favourite travel destinations in time for the summer holidays,” Ms Mather said.
Indonesia AirAsia X CEO Dendy Kurniawan, who touched down in Sydney on the inaugural flight, operated by an A330-300 aircraft, said that Australia is an important market to Indonesia AirAsia X and the airline is committed to further strengthening its presence in Australia.
“We are delighted to serve direct flights between Bali and Sydney, providing Sydneysiders the opportunity to explore Bali and beyond at affordable fares. From Bali, our guests can fly onwards to many exotic destinations within Indonesia such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Yogykarta,” Mr Kurniawan said.
Indonesia AirAsia X is the fourth airline servicing the Sydney-Bali route