AirAsia has unveiled schedules for its upcoming new route linking Western Australia with Indonesia’s Lombok.
It will fly four times a week from Perth to Lombok beginning on June 9.
It is the first major new route for Lombok since it was hit by a series of deadly earthquakes last summer.
It is a welcome boost as the island slowly recovers.
Hotel occupancy slumped by about 70% following the quakes which happened right in the middle of Lombok’s traditional peak tourist season.
"We are very confident that Lombok is going to replicate the success story of Bali. I believe Lombok will offer something that Bali offered a long time ago. This will be the main attraction for Australians to visit and travel to Bali," said AirAsia Indonesia chief executive Dendy Kurniawan.
It will ‘accelerate post-earthquake recovery efforts,’ Dendy says.
The route launch kicks off with special promotional fares of A$99 one way.
AirAsia managed to secure attractive subsidies to make the route viable and the airline begins a big promotional push in cooperation with the Indonesian tourism ministry to target Australians this week.
The route adds an extra 77,000 seats annually to AirAsia’s Australian market.
