First AirAsia flight from Indonesia lands in Cairns, promising 15,000 annual visitors and boosting Queensland exports
ECONOMIC BOOST
In a significant boost for local residents and businesses, AirAsia's inaugural flight from Bali landed in Cairns this morning. This new service expands travel options, offering affordable one-stop connections to popular destinations in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, including Jakarta and Surabaya.
The new flights, operating three times per week, are expected to introduce over 63,000 seats into the Cairns market over the next three years.
This influx is anticipated to bring around 15,000 international visitors, generating an impressive $31.11 million in overnight visitor expenditure, and helping to create up to 100 direct and indirect jobs in the region.
The AirAsia A320s will also provide significant freight capacity, with up to two tonnes available per flight, greatly benefiting Far North Queensland exporters.
Tourism Minister and Member for Cairns, Michael Healy, emphasised the advantages of this new route.
“Having a new direct route into Cairns from Denpasar opens up the Far North to more tourists and international students from across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,” he said.
“Visitors will be able to plan an extended stay in Queensland and discover just how much this beautiful state has to offer.
“The flights will also provide another avenue for our local exporters to deliver their goods such as fish and crustaceans, avocadoes, mangoes, melons, citrus and blueberries to some major South-East Asian markets.”
Mark Olsen, CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, expressed enthusiasm for AirAsia's arrival.
“Tourism Tropical North Queensland welcomes the arrival of AirAsia which will allow the destination to tap into new markets in Asia,” he said.
“The urban Asian middle-class is expanding rapidly and these flights will allow Cairns to tap into new source markets.
“The route will also be attractive for travellers connecting from Europe and the United Kingdom, particularly the youth and group series markets wanting a stopover in Indonesia.”
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