Tourism/ AirAsia

Editorial staff

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted a special ceremony at Phuket International Airport last Saturday to welcome AirAsia’s inaugural flight from Denpasar (Bali).

The one daily flight on the route adds to the current 90 flights per week to Bangkok from Jakarta, Denpasar, and Medan.

Flight QZ 246 was welcomed with a water cannon salute as it taxied to its gate where arriving passengers were then greeted by officials and representatives from the TAT, Phuket International Airport, and Phuket Tourist Association.

“We were delighted to welcome AirAsia’s new direct flight between Bali and Phuket. This reflects the strong demand for outbound travel among Indonesians, thanks to Indonesia’s robust economy. Their favorites Thai destinations include Phuket with popular activities being Thai food, cultural activities, and shopping,” Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of TAT Phuket Office, said.

AirAsia will operate the Denpasar (Bali) – Phuket route with three flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The service will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft offering 180 seats. The inaugural flight recorded a strong load factor of 88.88%, totalling 160 passengers.

The airline currently operates 38 flights per week to Bangkok from Jakarta, Medan, and Denpasar (Bali).

These are in addition to 52 flights per week to the Thai capital from the three Indonesian cities operated by Garuda Indonesia, Thai Airways International, Thai Lion Air, and Batik Air.

The latest air connection between Bali and Phuket adds to the 78,836 air-seat capacity between Thailand and Indonesia in 2024, representing an 81% rebound compared over the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

From 1 January to 9 August 2024, Thailand recorded 536,720 arrivals from Indonesia. By year-end, the number is expected to reach 800,000 travellers, generating at least 21.46 billion baht.