01 Oct 2024
MANGUPURA, October 1, 2024 – Connectivity between Bali and Hong Kong continues to strengthen with the addition of another airline serving the route at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali. Indonesia AirAsia has officially launched its inaugural Hong Kong (HKG) – Denpasar (DPS) flight on Tuesday (October 1), becoming the third carrier to operate direct services between Hong Kong and Bali, alongside Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines.
General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, explained that the increased flight frequency offers passengers more travel options. “Previously, Hong Kong Airlines operated a morning flight departing Bali at 08:15 WITA, while Cathay Pacific offered an afternoon service at 16:00 WITA. Indonesia AirAsia now complements these schedules with a departure at 01:45 WITA. Based on our records, the Hong Kong route has shown solid performance with an average seat occupancy rate of 80 percent,” he said.
Syaugi added that demand for the Hong Kong route remains promising. One indicator is Cathay Pacific’s aircraft upgrade in July 2024, switching from a medium-body Airbus A330-300 with 317 seats to a wide-body Boeing 777 with 438 seats. Operational reliability has also been strong, with the route recording an on-time performance rate of 83 percent.
Indonesia AirAsia’s inaugural flight QZ300 departed Denpasar at 00:45 WITA carrying 126 passengers. Its return service, flight QZ301 from Hong Kong, landed in Bali at 11:50 WITA and was welcomed with a traditional water salute ceremony. The Airbus A320 aircraft carried 171 passengers. Like Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines, Indonesia AirAsia will operate daily services on the route, with one flight per day, totaling seven weekly flights.
The arrival ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister for Marketing at Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, who conveyed a message from Minister Sandiaga Uno: “Connectivity is the key to increasing international tourist arrivals to Indonesia. Direct flights from Hong Kong to Indonesia have been highly anticipated. We hope that Indonesia AirAsia’s new service will attract more Hong Kong and international tourists to visit Indonesia, contributing to foreign exchange earnings from tourism and creating more job opportunities,” she said.
From January through September 30, 2024, passenger traffic on the Hong Kong – Denpasar route reached 302,547 passengers, accounting for 2.87 percent of Bali’s total 10.5 million international passengers during the same period. Syaugi expressed optimism that Indonesia AirAsia’s presence will further strengthen the route’s appeal and contribute to increasing international arrivals from Hong Kong. “We congratulate Indonesia AirAsia, which has been actively expanding its network in 2024 with new routes including Phuket and Kota Kinabalu launched in August. We wish them smooth operations and strong passenger growth. PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia will continue to support airlines interested in opening or expanding routes, in line with our company’s mission to strengthen connectivity across Indonesia and the world,” he concluded.
