Indonesia’s state news agency Antara reports that AirAsia will commence flying between Lombok and Perth, Western Australia, in February next year.
Some good news for Lombok as it recovers from a series of earthquakes that devastated the island earlier this year.
Indonesia’s state news agency Antara reports that AirAsia will commence flying between Lombok and Perth, Western Australia, in February next year.
The Governor of Nusa Tenggara Barat, H. Zulkieflimansyah, said, “Tourism in NTB will recover at a faster rate following the recent earthquakes if this new direct air service comes to realisation.
“This will also happen with more flight frequencies to Lombok from other international and domestic destinations. We have also undertaken a massive promotion to create greater awareness among tourists that Lombok and Sumbawa are safe to visit.”
The NTB government has reportedly agreed to subsidise the new air route to ensure profitability. The subsidy will be for an initial period of six months in the form of “blocked seats” with 50% occupancy guaranteed by the government of NTB with financial assistance via the Ministry of Tourism.
Qantas subsidiary Jetstar axed flights to Lombok from Perth and Brisbane in 2014. At the time, a Qantas spokesman said, “Despite our best efforts to promote Lombok as a destination, we’re just not seeing enough demand.”
The NTB government is also cooperating with Lion Air for the launch of flights from Guangzhou to Lombok and from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Lombok. Plans are underway to establish domestic flights between Labuan Bajo (Komodo) and Bima (Sumbawa) to Lombok.