Qantas Resumes Bali Flights after 7 Years Absence

17th Sep 2015

Australian carrier Qantas is returning to Bali for the summer, with a new direct service from Sydney to Denpasar. This will be the first time The Flying Kangaroo will operate to Denpasar Airport after October 2008, if we don't include relief flights it sent during the volcanic ash cloud crisis that hit the island a month ago.

Chief executive officer at Qantas Gareth Evans said the carrier is pleased to offer its customers a "full service, premium travel option to Bali".

Evans said:

"We know how attractive Bali is as a holiday destination, so through the efficient use of out aircraft, we've unlocked more domestic Boeing 737 flying time, delivering on a strategy to offer a dynamic and flexible network.

He added:

"It means we can give customers more choice and cater for the spikes in demand we see over the summer peak."

The last bit referred to the price Qantas announced for Sydney-Denpasar flights. At $733 for a return flight, the offer seems a bit steep, considering that Jetstar already flies here for almost half as much ($400) and another Australian carrier; Virgin Australia goes to Bali for $620.

Speaking of Jetstar, this carrier has 65 direct flights every week between different Australian cities (so not just Sydney) and Bali.

Qantas also revealed it will operate on a four-weekly basis and will bring 33 Boeing 737 return services between Sydney and Denpasar. Each plane has room for 168 passengers, total, including 12 in the business class.

The airline will start operating on Tuesdays. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 4th December, 2015 to 29th January, 2016.

In average, over 90,000 Australian tourists visit Bali each year and Qantas obviously wants to take part in this. Last year, 98,500 tourists from here visited Indonesia, while 88,400 did so the following month.