AIRASIA Indonesia has touched down in Cairns for the first time ever, opening the door for the far north to receive more tourists and profit.
The first AirAsia service from Bali arrived in Cairns yesterday (15 August), opening the door to to affordable, one stop connections between Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and other Indonesian hubs like Jakarta and Surabaya.
The flights will operate three times a week and are expected to bring over 63 000 seats into the Cairns market over three years, including 15000 international visitors.
The service is projected to generate over $31 million in overnight visitor expenditure and create up to 100 direct and indirect jobs.
The new flights were reportedly made possible by the Queensland Government’s $200 million-dollar Attracting Aviation Investment Fund.
Further, there is up to two tonnes of freight capacity on the narrowbody A320 aircraft, which will provide valuable room for far north exporters.
According to the Queensland government, the far north’s key export markets include Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong, with the top exports including air and space-craft equipment, seafood, scientific measurement equipment, fruit and nuts.
The state government believes the new flights can also provide another avenue for the return of international students and their families who can visit them on holidays.
In Cairns, there were more than 1800 international student enrolments in 2023, the fifth largest region for international education and training in the state, says the state government.
Tourism minister and member for Cairns, Michael Healy said having a new direct route into Cairns from Denpasar opens up the far north to more tourists and international students from across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
“Visitors will be able to plan an extended stay in Queensland and discover just how much this beautiful state has to offer” Mr Healy said.
“The flights will also provide another avenue for our local exporters to deliver their goods such as fish and crustaceans, avocadoes, mangoes, melons, citrus and blueberries to some major South-East Asian markets.”
The Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, Vedi Kurnia Buana said the route is a testament to the strong bond between the two countries, as they celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia.
“In 2023, approximately 1.37 million Australian tourists visited Indonesia, underscoring the significant interest in our diverse and beautiful nation” Mr Buana said.
“This new service not only meets the high demand but also invites travellers from Cairns to discover the rich cultural and natural wonders beyond Bali. “As we commemorate 75 years of friendship and cooperation, the new Cairns-Denpasar flight route play a crucial role in bringing our people closer together, further strengthening the ties between Indonesia and Australia and fostering mutual economic and tourism growth.”
