Malindo Air’s new flights from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur via Bali were launched with fanfare last Thursday. Flight D171 touched down in Sydney for the first time on 15 August 2019, carrying 141 passengers including the airline’s CEO, Chandran Rama Muthy. As outgoing passengers checked into flight OP172 to Bali at 12pm, they were presented with a gift bag, cupcakes and entertained by Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra, creating a Balinese ambience in Sydney International Airport.
Malindo Air Sydney-KL Key Points:
- New daily flights, direct from Sydney to Bali (and on to KL)
- Daily midday flights arrive in Bali just in time for Happy Hour!
- Promotional airfares now on sale from SYD-DPS from AU$399.26 return
- Airline positions itself between Low Cost and Full Service airlines
- Malindo is part of the Lion Group, sister airline Lion Air is the largest domestic carrier in Indonesia
- New daily flights create greater connectivity for Indonesia’s 10 New Destinations strategy
Passengers entertained by Gamelan Orchestra as they check in, creating a Balinese ambience in Sydney Airport.
On board the inaugural flight, Malindo executives including CEO Mr Chandran Rama Muthy and Mr Raja Sa’adi Bin Raja Amrin as well as Mr Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib Bin Abd Rahman, secretary-general, Minister of Transport, Malaysia and Mr Bapak Judi Rifa Jantoro, Professional Advisor to Indonesian Minister of Tourism & Infrastructure.
L-R: Rob Wood, General Manager Aviation, Sydney Airport; Hugh Wehby, Chief Operating Officer, Sydney Airport; Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib Bin Abdul Rahman, Secretary-General, Ministry of Transportation; Bapak Judi Rifa Jantoro, Professional advisor to Minister of Tourism & Infrastructure; Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO, Malindo Air; Raja Sa’adi Raja Amrin, Director of Government Affairs, Malindo Air; Christina Werkstetter, Head of Aviation Partnerships, Sydney Airport.
Malindo CEO Chandran Rama Muthy, said, “We are thrilled to have the much anticipated harbour city, Sydney as a fifth addition to our Australia network, after Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
“Our passengers have always enjoyed the comfortable legroom and the business class option that we offer. We look forward to explore more frequencies to and from Sydney in the near future,” he added.
Passengers treated to a gift bag as they board the flight.
As part of the Lion Group, this new flight to Bali opens up greater connectivity to Indonesia’s many other holiday destinations though Lion Air, Indonesia’s largest domestic carrier, strengthening the country’s tourism strategy to promote Indonesia’s 10 New Destinations to the Australian market.
Special Staff of the Minister of Tourism, Judi Rifajantoro, gave appreciation to Malindo for opening this route. “Accessibility is very important to support foreign tourist arrivals and we thank Malindo Air for this new route initiative. To the Sydney-siders joining this flight, I wish them an enjoyable flight and trust they enjoy the beauty of Bali”.
In an exclusive interview with Travel Monitor, Mr Rifajantoro expressed his hopes that the new connectivity with Sydney would boost Indonesia’s 10 New Destinations tourism investment strategy, particularly for the Australian market, with Malindo Air being part of the same group as Lion Air, Indonesia’s largest domestic carrier.
“Australia is one of our biggest tourism markets, this year we welcomed 1.3 million Australian visitors, and next year we are expecting 1.6 million, but until now the seat capacity has not been high enough.
“Plus, Malindo is the sister airline of Lion Air, the biggest domestic airline in Indonesia, so this will create better connectivity, especially for the Australian market, as our government progressively develops Indonesia’s “10 New Destinations.”
“In the future we hope for more direct flights from Australia to Indonesia’s other international airports, including Lombok and Komodo. We already have direct flights from Perth to Lombok and the load factors are good, so we hope in the near future to have direct flights from Melbourne and Sydney as well.”
Malindo CEO Chandran Rama Muthy and Special Staff of the Minister of Tourism, Judi Rifajantoro
Celebrations for the inaugural flight continued in the evening, with key members of Sydney’s travel trade invited to a cocktail event at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel. Presentations were made by Malindo CEO Chandran Rama Muthy, Mr Judi Rifajantoro, Sydney Airport General Manager Aviation, Rob Wood and guests were entertained by Australian-Indonesian dancers and musicians performing a mix Indonesian and Malaysian dances as a symbol of collaboration between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Malindo Flight OD171 pilot and cabin crew
Malindo Air’s Flights from Sydney to Denpasar (Bali), went on sale several weeks ago on the Malindo Air website www.malindoair.com, ticketing offices, customer care centre and selected travel agents with promotional return fares from AU $399.26 for Economy Class and AU $1,699.26 for Business Class, and the inaugural flight quickly sold out. Flights from Sydney via Bali to Kuala Lumpur are also available, with promotional return fares starting at AU $502.16 for Economy Class and AU $1,962.16 for Business Class.
Malindo Air has established itself as a premium airline, somewhere between low cost carriers and full service airlines, with baggage and meals included in the airfare, 32 inches seat pitch in Economy, and a Business Class option that offers spacious seating in full leather seats, 45 inches leg room, 40kg baggage allowance and free Wi-Fi.
The service is available daily from Sydney. Flight OD0172 from Sydney, departing at 12:00 pm and arriving in Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali) at 4:50 pm. The flight will continue on to Kuala Lumpur at 6:00 pm arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)at 9:10 pm.
The returning flight OD171 from Kuala Lumpur will depart at 8:25p.m. and arrive at Bali at 9:35p.m. The flight will continue from Bali at 10:35p.m. and arrive in Sydney at 6:40a.m. in the next morning. A Boeing 737-900 aircraft, comprising 12 Business Class and 168 Economy Class seats has been deployed for the flight.
