Cairns Airport welcomes arrival of AirAsia Indonesia

A brand new airline for Cairns Airport is bringing cheap flights to Australia’s favourite international destination and promises to open up the billion dollar potential of a booming South East Asian traveller market.

AirAsia Indonesia will fly between Denpasar, Bali and Cairns three times a week with with launch fairs a steal starting at $159. Photo: supplied AirAsia

A brand new airline for Cairns Airport is bringing cheap flights to Australia’s favourite international destination and promises to open up the billion dollar potential of a booming South East Asian traveller market.

One of Asia’s most recognisable brands, AirAsia Indonesia, is set to begin flying to Cairns Airport for the first time from Wednesday, August 14, operating three weekly flights to Denpasar, Bali.

To celebrate the new route, special launch fares to Bali are on sale now starting from just $159.

Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said the new service would open up a raft of connections across Asia.

“AirAsia has never flown to Cairns before and we look forward to welcoming these services in August,” he said.

“This announcement is great news for locals, with more flights to Bali. Importantly, this service will also open up one-stop, low fare travel to Tropical North Queensland from some of the largest nations in Southeast Asia, on an airline that is well known in those markets.

“These flights will provide direct connectivity from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and domestic Indonesia, including Jakarta and Surabaya, via Denpasar to Cairns.”

The service will inject more than 28,000 seats into the Cairns market in the first year.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said South East Asia is the fastest growing community of traveller around the world.

“Connecting Cairns with those travellers represents an enormous opportunity,” he said.

“Australia hosts 1.5 million travellers from South East Asia alone and they spend $5.5bn dollars.

Left to right, Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker, Tourism Minister Michael Healy,Indonesia AirAsia spokesperson Eddy Soemawilaga, Head of Indonesia Affairs and Policy,Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen and Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, Vedi Kurnia Buana. Photo: Supplied AirAsia

“Cairns only gets one per cent of that market so now is our chance to grow that together.”

AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine said the airline was thrilled to be flying to Far North Queensland for the very first time.

“Cairns offers our guests from Bali and across Asia breathtaking scenery, including the world famous Great Barrier Reef, ancient rainforests, unique culture, delicious seafood and more,” he said.

“At the same time, Asia is a top destination for Australians offering unique experiences at affordable prices.

“Indonesia alone has so many emerging gems for Queenslanders to experience including the world famous Labuan Bajo (Komodo Island) – home of the Komodo Dragon, Tanjung Setia Surf-Beach in Lampung and the New Capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan.

“Starting with three weekly services, we hope to grow the number of flights in the future, based on demand.”

Tourism Minister Michael Healy said it was terrific to see the AirAsia stable expanding to Cairns.

“The Far North remains a hot ticket for visitors who want to see just how much Queensland has to offer, and now the arrival of Indonesia AirAsia to Cairns will bring even more travellers from around the world to this incredibly beautiful region.”

Originally published as Cairns Airport welcomes arrival of AirAsia Indonesia