Avalon Airport locks in flights to Bali

GEELONG’S Avalon Airport now has a second confirmed international connection, with flights to and from Bali to begin next week.

Starting on January 24, budget Indonesian carrier Citilink will run daily flights departing from Avalon at 12.50pm local time and landing at Denpasar at 4.20pm local time.

The Denpasar-Avalon flight will land at 8.50am local time.

Bali is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Australians, with an annual visitation of almost 1.2 million per year.

“We’re excited to be able to make one of Australia’s most beloved holiday destinations a more affordable and easier experience for people wanting a great escape,” Avalon chief executive officer Justin Giddings said.

“Bali is our most requested international destination and one that we have been actively pursuing for some time.

“Citilink has been fantastic to work with, and are highly regarded in the industry. It’s an honour to introduce this airline to the region, and make Bali more accessible for Melbourne, Geelong and regional Victoria in particular. We’re certain the flights will be hugely successful.”

Citilink is a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia Airlines. It was established in 2001 as a low-cost shuttle service between cities in Indonesia, and expanded in 2012 to become an independent business entity.

It began flying between Perth and Bali in November, but this will be Citilink’s first operation in Australia’s eastern states.

The airline will run the Avalon-Denpasar service using the Airbus 320neo, which carries 178 passengers.

Citilink Indonesia chief executive officer Juliandra Nurtjahjo said the airline was thrilled to launch its new route.

“Citilink has become the first airline serving Denpasar and Avalon Airport route, and we hope this will provide more options for people who want to visit Denpasar and vice versa.”

He said Australia had the second-highest number of visits to Indonesia in 2019, so Citilink was optimistic it would reach its loading target of 70 per cent on the Denpasar-Avalon route.

Last week’s announcement follows Avalon’s tie-up in October with VietJet on an Avalon-Vietnam route (to start later this year), its one-year anniversary with AirAsia (which flies twice daily to and from Kuala Lumpur), and the airport winning the Australian Airports Association Major Airport of the Year Award.