The leading budget airline for South East Asia, AirAsia, has announced that it is resuming its Perth-Bali flight schedule. The airline is landing back in Western Australia for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020. The news comes just as the Australian winter holidays approach and searches for Bali hotels soar on online booking platforms.
AirAsia has made a return to the runway at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport quite unceremoniously, steadily resuming regular flight services for popular tourist destinations across South East Asia. Airline giants like Emirates received a full traditional Balinese welcome.
AirAsia’s understated resumption of flights is certainly being celebrated by travellers who are excited to return to Bali’s beautiful beaches and tropical jungles.
The flight from Perth-Bali has resumed with a four times weekly schedule during May. From June the service will run daily. Speaking to Australian news AirAsia announced that ‘While there are some limited flights on sale between Perth and Bali from May 15, we are currently reviewing our new season schedule for the remainder of 2022 which we will announce soon, including any updates to our Perth to Bali schedule.”
This can be taken as a hint that there are more flight services to come. AirAsia’s main competition for the Australian market is low-budget airline JetStar, part of the flagship Qantas group. Flights from Perth-Bali with AirAsia have been seen to be as low as $99 during their flash sale.
Flights from Perth-Bali have already hit 93% capacity, another great sign for the aviation and tourism industry. Australian travellers are eager to return to Bali and the country is ranked in the first place making up the highest percentage of inbound international travellers to Bali. Kuta and Seminyak are the most popular destinations within Bali.
The steep increase in demand for flights to Bali has been attributed largely to the recent removal of the pre-arrival PCR test for vaccinated international arrivals. The Indonesian government scrapped PCR tests and the need to wear masks in outdoor public settings. It is hoped that in the coming weeks all remaining restrictions will be removed, making life for travellers and locals in Bali much easier.
At present cafes, restaurants, event spaces and places of worship in Bali and Java must operate at 75% of their capacity. Diners in cafes and restaurants are only allowed to be seated for an hour. This is stunting the economic recovery of many of Bali’s much-loved eateries.
News of AirAsia resuming their Perth-Bali route comes in the same week as competitor Qantas announces a new partnership with financial service provider Zip. The new partnership is offering Qantas members a fly now pay later option.
This offering will enable travellers from Australia and beyond to visit popular destinations like Bali without the worry of paying upfront. This new option will enable travellers to manage their cash flow and return to their beloved Bali sooner than they may have been able to should they have only been able to pay upfront.
Travellers can expect to see all kinds of flight and travel deals appear online as tour operators try to boost the recovery of the travel sector. Bali is famous for its all-inclusive resorts, family-friendly hotels, budget backpacker adventures, and high-end luxurious retreats. Although hotel occupancy has hit 60% over bust periods like the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, bookings are only slowly increasing.
Industry-leading hotel booking platforms like Agoda have said that they have seen a surge in interest in hotels in Bali and are confident that this will translate into bookings. As more last-minute deals come available travellers are advised to keep up to date with the latest Covid-19 restrictions in Bali and on their return to their home country.
