CONNECTIVITY Bali – Hong Kong is increasingly busy as more airlines serve this route at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali.
Most recently, Indonesia Air Asia made its first Hong Kong (HKG) – Denpasar (DPS) flight on Tuesday evening (1/10), making it the third airline to fly directly from Hong Kong to Bali. Previously, Cathay Pacific and Hongkong Airlines had already operated.
General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, explained that with the increase in flight frequency to and from Hong Kong, additional alternative flight schedules are now available for airport service users.
Also read: Indonesia AirAsia Officially Opens New Route to Cairns Australia.
“Previously there were morning flights served by Hong Kong Airlines with a departure schedule from Bali at 08.15 WITA and in the afternoon using Cathay Pacific at 16.00 WITA. Indonesia Air Asia complemented this by being present at the departure time at 01.45 WITA. Based on our records, the Hong Kong route performed quite well, with an average “The average seat occupancy rate reaches 80%,” he said.
Syaugi continued, the demand for the Hong Kong route looks promising. One of them can be seen from the change in aircraft type proposed by Cathay Pacific. Since July 2024, the aircraft used is a wide-body Boeing 777 with a capacity of 438 seats, after previously using a medium-body Airbus 333 with a capacity of 317 passenger seats. In terms of timeliness of realization and flight plans, this route is also quite positive on time performance reached 83%.
The Indonesia Air Asia QZ300 aircraft made its first flight from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali at 00.45 WITA carrying 126 passengers. Meanwhile, the QZ301 Hong Kong – Denpasar aircraft made its first landing at 11.50 WITA with a water salute welcoming ceremony. The Airbus 320 type aircraft carried 171 passengers. Just like Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines, Indonesia Air Asia will serve the Hong Kong route with a weekly operating schedule flying every day once or 7 times a week.
Also read: Bali International Airshow 2024 Shows Innovation and Collaboration in the World of Aviation
The welcoming activity for the arrival of the first passengers was attended by the Deputy for Marketing of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini. Martini conveyed a message from the Minister of Tourism, Sandiaga Uno, that connectivity is the key to increasing the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia, especially since direct flights from Hong Kong to Indonesia are eagerly awaited.
“AirAsia’s Indonesian flights are expected to attract more Hong Kong and international tourists to Indonesia, so that they can contribute to increasing foreign exchange from the tourism sector and creating more jobs,” he said.
As of September 30 2024, the number of Hong Kong – Denpasar PP flight passengers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai – Bali International Airport reached 302,547 passengers or 2.87 percent of the total international passengers which reached 10.5 million passengers. Syaugi hopes that the presence of Indonesia Air Asia will increase the attractiveness of this route and contribute to increasing the number of foreign tourists from Hong Kong visiting Indonesia.
“We congratulate and succeed to Indonesia Air Asia, which in 2024 is quite active in increasing the number of routes, including Phuket and Kotakinabalu which were realized last August. We hope that operations will always run smoothly and passenger realization will be fulfilled according to plan. PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia as the manager “The airport will always provide support to airlines that are interested in opening or adding routes. This is in line with the company’s goal of strengthening regional connectivity in Indonesia and abroad,” he concluded. (N-2)
#airlines #serve #direct #flights #Denpasar #Hong #Kong
