Post-pandemic travel puts Top End on the map with AirAsia’s Darwin-Kuala Lumpur route
AirAsia hopes its new route between Darwin and Malaysia could become a daily service, as the airline and wider industry work to take advantage of changing consumer habits post-pandemic.
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AirAsia hopes its new route between Darwin and Malaysia could become a daily service, as the airline and wider industry work to take advantage of changing consumer habits post-pandemic.
The direct service will start operating four times a week from June 27 – a significant link between the Top End and the world, with Kuala Lumpur home to the second most connected airport on the planet.
AirAsia Malaysia chief executive Dato Captain Fareh Mazputra said the route opened up opportunities to drive tourism, trade and cultural exchange between the two nations.
“We see Darwin as a hidden gem for Malaysians and travellers across Southeast Asia and Asia generally, offering unique experiences beyond traditional tourist hotspots,” he said.
“What we’ve seen over the last couple of years, post-Covid, is that travellers seem to want to explore different places, rather than the same old locations or travel destinations that they’ve been to.”
Last year, AirAsia transported more than 600,000 travellers between Malaysia and Australia alone.
The Darwin-Kuala Lumpur route would be its fifth destination in Australia, dovetailing with a new Darwin-Denpasar service launching this weekend.
Captain Mazputra said the airline was committed to working with tourism partners in both Asia and Australia to grow demand.
“Routes can’t just be the airline’s responsibility,” he said.
“We’re going to start with four times a week from Kuala Lumpur right now, but obviously four times a week for any airline is not the best – we want it to go at least daily.
“We want better frequency, better connectivity, and eventually, if the demand is there, we can grow it further.”
Tourism Australia said connecting the Top End to some of the nation’s fastest growing tourism markets put the Territory in a strong position to grow its inbound international visitor numbers.
“Success for inbound tourism would be to see a good balanced portfolio of markets grow,” general manager Andrew Hogg said.
“So not just having more Malaysians come here, but more Indian travellers, more Chinese, Japanese, Korean travellers, using those flights that are connecting through KL into Darwin.
“From an inbound tourism perspective, the Northern Territory has so much to offer from the absolutely wonderful environment, wildlife, but more importantly, the Indigenous culture.”
The Darwin-Kuala Lumpur route is taxpayer subsidised by the Territory Aviation Attraction Scheme.
Trade, Business and Asian Relations Minister Robyn Cahill said details of the deal were commercial in confidence, but the government was committed to working closely with both airlines and the Airport Development Group to attract more flights to the NT, pointing to flow on effects on the population and economy.
“Migration is really critical to (population growth) in our international student space and our skilled worker migration, and having this hub in place means that those people we attract to live and work here will be able to get home really easily to visit family and friends,” she said.
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