New Zealand to Bali direct flights resume with Air New Zealand

Getting from New Zealand to Bali gets easier today as Air New Zealand resumes its direct service to the popular Indonesian holiday spot.

Kiwis will once again be able to fly directly to Bali for the first time in three years.

This will be good news for more than a few travellers according to Air New Zealand’s chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty.

“Bali is one of our most popular routes, with more than 17,000 customers welcomed onboard our Air New Zealand aircraft bound for Denpasar in 2019 alone,” Geraghty said.

Flight NZ64 will depart from Auckland at noon today. It will be one of three non-stop flights to Denpasar each week until October 27, when the seasonal service ends.

The service will increase to five flights a week during the busy winter and school holiday period from June 26 to July 30.

The Bali route was Air New Zealand’s final international and seasonal route to restart after Covid-19, which Geraghty said was a sign the airline was “bouncing back”.

Whether travellers are keen to escape the cold, adventure in nature or enjoy a romantic getaway, the destination’s diversity is a large selling point, she added.

This was demonstrated after bookings for the route opened and sold more than 10,000 seats in the first week.

July is the most popular month, followed by June and April.

Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, also celebrated the news.

“Bali is and will continue to be, the icon for Indonesia’s tourism industry, making up 41 per cent of the country’s total tourism, and Ngurah Rai International Airport [Denpasar] is by far the biggest entry point for foreign tourists,” he said.

NZ64 and NZ65 will operate between Auckland at Bali on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.