Air Paradise to launch first ever direct Australia - Lombok flights

Air Paradise International has announced its plans to commence the first-ever direct flights between Australia and Lombok; together with international flight packages between Lombok and Korea.

The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara and Pak Kadek Wiranatha, owner of the Balinese airline, Air Paradise International, met recently in Mataram, Lombok to sign an agreement that will allow A.P.I. to add the tropical paradise of Lombok to its international itinerary. The agreement comes after months of lobbying by the Government and its agency, Lombok Sumbawa Promo, and was greeted with applause by hotel and tourism industry leaders attending the official signing.

Says Pak Kadek "Air Paradise International has lead the way, being the first Balinese-owned airline to offer international flights direct to Bali. Those flights have met with resounding success, despite those who said it couldn't be done. Now we will lead the way again, to introduce the world to the paradise island of Lombok."

Air Paradise will fly direct from Perth, Australia to Mataram, Lombok once per week with the same competitive pricing as utilized on the direct Perth - Bali run. The airline says that the high quality inflight service and entertainment, including movies as well as full meal service and drinks, will be maintained on the three and a half hour flight.

A.P.I. flights incorporating a Korea - Lombok package commenced July 16 with a three times per week Seoul - Denpasar service. Passengers from Korea arrive at Denpasar airport in transit, before transferring to Merpati Airlines flights direct to Lombok. Merpati Airlines are introducing special flights to coordinate with A.P.I. and special incentive packages are being offered to passengers choosing Lombok as their main destination, including free accommodation.

"Australians already love Bali", says Pak Kadek, "so now we are offering our Australian friends a choice of tropical paradises, which can only benefit both our islands for the future. Lombok Sumbawa Promo's recent visit to Korea has shown us that Korean interest in Lombok is very high. Lombok is already seen as a rising star in Indonesian tourism, and has always had a close relationship to Bali, so the choice of Lombok for our next destination was natural. This is an exciting time for the Indonesian travel industry and I am proud that Air Paradise is leading the way in opening new destinations and markets for our country."

At present direct international flights are only available between Lombok and Singapore aboard Singpapore Airline's regional carrier Silk Air while Merpati and Lion Air offer K.L. flights via Surabaya.

Haji Achmad Akeang, from Lombok Sumbawa Promo comments "This is a wonderful opportunity for Lombok. We applaud the confidence shown in Lombok by Air Paradise International and our local government, and I am sure that Lombok will justify that confidence. Our development has been severely held back by the lack of direct international air links; we have known this for a  long time. Before the Asian Monetary Crisis Lombok was seen as one of the fastest growing destinations in Indonesia. Now we have the opportunity to market Lombok as an international destination and resume the growth of this remarkable island."