Jetstar ground staff welcome passengers to Bali on March 4, 2022 to mark the airline operator’s first flight to the popular holiday destination after a break of more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.(Jetstar/-)
News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta ● Fri, March 4, 2022
Jetstar Asia has resumed flight services between Singapore and Denpasar in Bali after a break of more than two years, as Flight No. 3K243 took off from Singapore at 6:55 a.m. and landed in Bali at 9:55 a.m.
Jetstar Asia is the first airline in the Jetstar Group to recommence flights to the popular holiday destination, with Jetstar Airways scheduled to start operations from Melbourne and Sydney to Bali on March 14 and 15, respectively, Jetstar Asia announced in a press release on Friday.
Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi said it was “fantastic” to be back in Bali, one of the most popular destinations in the Jetstar network. Jetstar Asia says it plans to operate services to 11 destinations in Southeast Asia and Australia.
“Bali has always been a customer favorite with its beautiful beaches, amazing food and incredible culture,” Pasupathi said.
Alluding to key obstacles as Bali strives to revive tourism, the CEO added: “We’ve recently welcomed the news regarding the easing of quarantine requirements and the move from PCR tests to the less-costly ART, which have been a significant barrier to travel for many of our customers.”
Air carriers have relaunched international flight services to Bali after the Indonesian government reallowed the island province to receive such flights starting last month. National air carrier Garuda Indonesia landed an international flight from Tokyo on Feb. 3 and Singapore Airlines landed another from Singapore on Feb. 16.
Jetstar Asia said it was currently offering low fares for Bali flights from Singapore to “celebrate” the occasion and promised an added layer of protection to keep employees and customers safe.
While coronavirus case numbers remain high across the world, increasing vaccination and revaccination rates as well as relatively mild symptoms reported for the Omicron variant have taken the sting out of the pandemic and helped revive cross-border travel.
The government announced on Sunday plans to trial a quarantine-free international entry policy in Bali starting on March 14. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who heads the government’s pandemic response in Java and Bali, said on Sunday that the trial could start earlier if conditions allowed.
Flights have also resumed recently to other popular holiday destinations in the region such as the Philippines.
