TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – AirAsia Indonesia has officially opened a flight route from Denpasar to Darwin, Australia. This route becomes the third route to Australia after Perth and Cairns, strengthening the tourism and business sectors in both countries.
The Chief Executive Officer of Indonesia AirAsia, Veranita Yosephine, said that Denpasar and Darwin have a close historical and cultural relationship. In addition, this route is also a favorite destination for Australian tourists who want to visit Bali, as well as for Indonesian citizens who want to explore Northern Australia.
“With the opening of this route, we hope to further increase the number of foreign tourists visiting Bali, which also serves as a hub with broad connectivity to more than 130 destinations in Asia and its surroundings through the AirAsia Group network,” said Veranita in a written statement, quoted on Monday, March 24, 2025.
Veranita also added that Indonesia AirAsia has flown 2.8 million passengers throughout 2024 via I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Bali Province, in September 2024, 625,665 foreign tourists arrived in Bali, with 24.80 percent of them coming from Australia.
“This figure confirms that Australia is a major market for Balinese tourism with a significant contribution to the total number of foreign tourist visits,” she said.
Northern Territory Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Hon Marie-Clare Boothby, said the opening of the new Denpasar-Darwin route is also a step to strengthen the historical, cultural, and economic relationship between the two regions. “We hope that this route will further increase tourist arrivals, expand business mobility, and open up collaboration opportunities in various sectors,” she said.
The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia for Northern Australia, Bagus Hendraning Kobarsih, hopes that this new route can increase tourist arrivals and expand business mobility. Additionally, he hopes to open up collaboration opportunities in various sectors.
“This is a strategic development that will bring long-term benefits to both countries,” said Bagus Hendraning Kobarsih, Consul (Head of the Mission), Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia (Northern Territory),” said Bagus.
Last Saturday, the Denpasar-Darwin route also had its inaugural flight. Flight QZ 540 took off from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, at 11:40 WITA (Central Indonesian Time) and arrived at Darwin International Airport at 15:55 local time with a very good passenger occupancy rate. This route will be operated three times a week.
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