AirAsia launches first International flight to Makassar

Makassar is the 14th Indonesian destination which AirAsia flies to and it is the first international airline to service the route. Currently AirAsia is the leading airline which connects Kuala Lumpur to most points in Indonesia than any other airlines with an outstanding 346 flights a week.

The Makassar – Kuala Lumpur route is expected to provide AirAsia greater access to a whole new traffic from Manado, Ambon, Maluku and other neighboring islands as Makassar is the hub in that region to other destinations in Indonesia. Thus the air connectivity between the gateway of Sulawesi to Kuala Lumpur, the gateway to Southeast Asia is a perfect match as both hubs are able to feed traffic to the cities, connect to other points serviced by AirAsia’s extensive routes and international destinations serviced by AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X.

With this new air connectivity, the people of Makassar will also now have access to more low-cost alternatives to international routes and additional destinations in Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur in which AirAsia champions.

Thus Hasanuddin International Airport which is Makassar’s main gateway, will now connect to  other international route which AirAsia flies to via Kuala Lumpur and to other domestic points in that region such as Bajarmasin, Kendari, Palu, Manado, Gorantalo, Ambon, Jayapura and so fourth.

Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad said “We have always championed routes where no one else flies to and we are delighted to become the first international airline to service this route. We are launching this new service with direct daily flights and this proves our confidence in this sector. We are proud to service an underserved market and thrilled to bring Makassar closer to other parts of the region from Kuala Lumpur. This new service from Kuala Lumpur to Makassar will stimulate new local demand consisting of local travelers who will be flying to Malaysia be it for the purpose of health tourism, vacation or business trips. Prior to our service from Kuala Lumpur, guests will have to go Jakarta, Bali or Surabaya to the destination which will take them such long hours to reach there. Now with our new service, the loose translation of Ujung Pandang or ‘End of View’ is no longer applicable,”

© Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 30-Jun-08 

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