TransNusa expands to Australia with Perth-Bali services

Indonesian low-cost airline TransNusa will make Perth its first Australian destination with a new service to Denpasar. The carrier will operate A320-200 aircraft on the route from 20 March, starting at three times per week before increasing to four times per week from 12 April and daily from 1 June. In total, the service will add more than 127,000 seats between Perth and Bali per year. TransNusa will compete with several other airlines on the lucrative route, including Jetstar, Indonesia AirAsia, Batik Air and Citilink. “The Bali-Perth international route is a golden route as the highest number of tourists, almost every year, in Bali are from Perth. Hence, the demand for this route is equally significant,” said TransNusa Group CEO Datuk Bernard Francis. “As such, we will be utilising our Airbus A320 that has only a mere 174-seat configuration, which allows passengers to enjoy about 30 inches of legroom, comparable to the experience passengers would get in a full-service airline.” Perth Airport’s chief commercial and aviation officer, Kate Holsgrove, said the new TransNusa service speaks to the strength of the Perth leisure market. <br/>