Flag carrier Korean Air will begin operating flights to the Indonesian holiday island of Lombok.
Korean Air has announced an initial seven charter flights from South Korea to Lombok International Airport beginning in later July.
Officials hope this is a precursor for more permanent scheduled services to an airport that has recently struggled to attract more international routes.
"We expect the chartered flights to pave the way for fixed routes between Korea and Lombok," airport general manager I Gusti Ngurah Ardita said in a meeting with Korean Air executives.
Lombok’s huge Mandalika integrated tourism project is one of Indonesia’s 10 new destinations being fast-tracked to disperse tourism away from overcrowded Bali which lies just 60km to the west of Lombok.
The Mandalika development is just a short drive from Lombok International Airport.
Currently Lombok is only linked direct to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur by Silk Air and AirAsia respectively, although both Emirates and Royal Brunei Airlines have shown interest in flying to the island.
