Here comes the sun, little darlings!
After the first Singapore Airlines flight in nearly two years landed in Bali last week (the single largest number of passengers on a commercial international flight to the Indonesian island since its airport closure in March 2020), an official said three more airlines are expected to follow suit.
“This is a positive sign that shows how international airlines and foreign tourists are regaining their confidence to fly and visit Bali,” said Faik Fahmi, the CEO of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I on Sunday.
According to Fahmi, the three airlines are KLM Royal Dutch, Scoot Tiger Air, and JetStar. All three airlines have formally applied to reactivate their flights to the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.
KLM Royal Dutch is scheduled to operate four flights per week from Singapore to Denpasar, with a Boeing B-777 that can carry up to 408 passengers. Meanwhile, Scoot Tiger Air plans to operate three flights per week from Singapore to Denpasar with an Airbus A-320 that can carry up to 108 passengers.
Last but not least, JetStar Asia is scheduled to fly three routes per week from Singapore to Denpasar, while Jetstar Airways will fly from Sydney to Denpasar, and Melbourne to Denpasar. The Singapore-Denpasar route will use an Airbus A-320 that can seat 180 passengers, while the other two will either use a Boeing B-788 that can carry 335 passengers or an Airbus A-321 (323 seats) and an Airbus A-320 (186 seats).
Fahmi did not give an estimate on the airlines’ return.
“We hope that in the future the number of passengers and international flights to Bali can gradually increase and thus improve Bali tourism and economy simultaneously,” he added.
Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines were the first to resume international flights to Ngurah Rai Airport as Bali’s tourism relaunch began in earnest this month. Between Feb. 1 and 18, officials have recorded 639 international visitors to the island.
Bali welcomed 6 million tourists in 2019. The island, which is almost entirely reliant on the tourism industry, came to a standstill when the pandemic hit.
Editor’s note: Distinction between Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Airways added in paragraph 6.
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