Tigerair Australia Launches Flights for Bali

25th Mar 2016

Australia has just received its newest international carrier. Tigerair Australia on Wednesday that it will began a regular flying service, taking passengers from Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to the island of Bali in Indonesia.

The inaugural flight (number TT1) to Bali took off from the Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne at around 9:30 AM per local time and landed at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali around five and a half hours later. Tigerair used a Boeing 737-800 VH-VOR for the occasion.

Chief executive at Tigerair Rob Sharp was among the passengers for Tigerair Australia's first international flight. He expressed his post-flight feelings, saying the following in a statement:

"This is a significant milestone for Tigerair Australia as we continue to grow in line with consumer demand."

Mr Sharp also added:

"Bali is renowned as a popular holiday destination for many Australians looking for an affordable tropical holiday year round and we are confident our new services will prove popular with our core market of leisure travellers."

The youngest Australian international carrier took over the routes from its parent company Virgin Australia and has repainted Virgin's three Boeing 737-800 planes into its own livery. The aircrafts will be flown by pilots from Virgin Australia, with the help of Tigerair cabin crew.

The planes used to fly to Bali will have an all-economy configuration, and a seating capacity of 180. For those who would like some extra legroom, that option is also available for a little extra cash.

Passengers who book a flight to Bali from Melbourne, Perth or Adelaide, will also be able to enjoy in-flight entertainment, including the latest Hollywood and Australian movies, TV shows, music, as well as real-time destination mapping, streamed directly on their smartphones, tablets or other devices.

Tigerair will be "welcomed" by heavy competition on the routes as Indonesia AirAsia X, Jetstar and Garuda Indonesia all operate wide-bodied planes between Melbourne and Bali. The three airlines also fly from Perth to Bali, while Jetstar is the only carrier to operate the Adelaide-Bali route of the three and will be the biggest competition to Tigerair Australia in establishing its presence.