Cairns Airport has today added another feather to its cap as AirAsia made history with the touchdown of its first service.
The inaugural flight landed in Cairns around 6am and before reloading with local passengers and departing back to Bali (Denpasar) just after 7am.
The new service will operate three times a week, injecting more than 28,000 seats into the Cairns market in the first year.
Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said the inaugural flight was a significant milestone for the wider Tropical North Queensland region.
“AirAsia is one of the world’s most recognisable airline brands and is renowned in the industry as Asia’s first low-cost, low-fare carrier,” he said.
“We are thrilled to welcome AirAsia Indonesia to Cairns Airport today, for the first time ever.
“This new service will offer immense benefits to our region and many key industries. Providing seamless, affordable connections to Cairns from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and domestic Indonesia will bolster visitation and business opportunities from these major, populous markets.
“Bali is also a highly popular destination for locals, and we know this new service has been well received by holidaymakers across Tropical North Queensland.”
To celebrate the commencement of the service, special fares between Cairns and; Bali, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are now on sale.
“We are thrilled to touch down in Cairns for the first time ever today, with great value services for local residents to Bali and onto over 130 destinations on the AirAsia Group network,” AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine said.
“At the same time, we are connecting millions of Indonesians and many more millions of guests from Asia and beyond via Bali to Tropical North Queensland’s gateway.”
The flights have been made possible through the Queensland Government’s $200 million Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF).
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.”
“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.”
