Phuket, 13 August 2024 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) held a special ceremony at Phuket International Airport on Saturday, August 10, to welcome AirAsia’s inaugural flight from Denpasar, Bali.
Flight QZ 246 was greeted with a water cannon salute as it taxied to its gate, where arriving passengers were then greeted by officials and representatives from TAT, Phuket International Airport and the Phuket Tourist Association.
Ms Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of TAT, said “We are very excited about 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. Among their favorite Thai destinations is Phuket, with Thai food, cultural activities and shopping being among the most popular activities.”
Starting today, AirAsia will operate the Denpasar (Bali) – Phuket route with three flights per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The service will be operated with a 180-seat Airbus A320. The inaugural flight recorded a strong load factor of 88.88% with a total of 160 passengers.
The airline currently offers 38 flights per week from Jakarta, Medan and Denpasar (Bali) to Bangkok.
In addition, there are 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 newest flight connection between Bali and Phuket increases the capacity of 78,836 seats between Thailand and Indonesia in 2024, representing an increase of 81% compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
From January 1 to August 9, 2024, Thailand recorded 536,720 arrivals from Indonesia. By the end of the year, the number is expected to reach 800,000 travelers and generate at least 21.46 billion baht.
