The Malaysia-based low cost carrier AirAsia will soon serve the Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta-Labuan Bajo route, according to East Nusa Tenggara Tourism and Creative Economy Office Chief Marius Ardu Jelamu.
“There has been an agreement with the central government and the airline company that AirAsia will serve this new route starting from next year,” Jelamu said here on Wednesday.
He said the AirAsias new route will have a positive impact on the flow of tourists to the province of East Nusa Tenggara through the entry gate of Labuan Bajo.
“This new service of AirAsia will enable more foreign tourists to visit the leading destinations in East Nusa Tenggara,” he said, adding that tourism progress is dependent on smooth air transport connectivity.
Jelamu said that in addition to the Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta-Labuan Bajo route, his party is also trying to accelerate the implementation of Kupang-Dili-Darwin route.
“In addition to air connectivity from the west, the one from the south, namely from Australia to East Nusa Tenggara, also has its share of attractive markets for linking the three countries,” he said.
Jelamu expressed hope that the Kupang-Dili-Darwin route, which had been halted since 1990s, can be reopened soon to support the advancement of tourism in the island province.
“We hope that the Ministry of Transportation will quickly agree on the proposed route service with the airline,” he said.
Further, Jelamu said he appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Transportation to have opened the Jakarta-Kupang and Jakarta-Labuan Bajo routes, served by Garuda Indonesia.
However, he said the flight path from the south also has attractive market potential related to the flow of tourists and expressed hope that the Kupang-Dili-Darwin route would be reopened soon.