Air New Zealand Gets Kiwis Back To Bali

Stop by stop Air New Zealand has rejoined the dots from its 2019 international network map. This week, it restarted nonstop services between Auckland and Bali, Indonesia, a very popular route in pre-pandemic 2019.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Just as the cold, dark winter started to bite in New Zealand, the nation’s flag carrier restarted nonstop flights to the sun-drenched island of Bali, one of the most popular holiday destinations for both Kiwis and Aussies for decades. On Wednesday, Air New Zealand flight NZ64 resumed the service between Auckland Airport and Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS).

The Dreamliner is the choice for Bali

NZ64 was operated by a Boeing 787-9, which, according to ch-aviation.com, is one of 14 in the airline’s fleet. The aircraft that operated NZ64 is a nine-year-old 787-9 Dreamliner registered ZK-NZD with a manufacturer serial number of 41989. It has 302 seats in a three-class layout, including 18 Business Premier, 21 Premium Economy and 263 in the economy cabin. Also bookable are Economy Skycouches in rows 36 to 43 ABC and 36 to 41 HJK.

The flight departed Auckland Airport (AKL) at 12:24 and, after an 8:15 hour flight, landed in Bali at 15:40. The Boeing 787 was on the ground in Denpasar for 2:21 hours before it departed at 18:01 and landed in Auckland at 06:33, after a 7:32 hour return journey.

It’s good to be back

Before COVID-19 decimated commercial aviation, Bali was one of Air New Zealand’s most popular routes, with more than 17,000 Kiwis heading for the island in 2019. The airline’s chief customer and sales officer, Leanne Geraghty, said this week:

“It’s fantastic to be back flying nonstop services to Bali, a destination that suits every type of traveller – whether it’s customers keen to escape the cold to tropical beaches, families keen for adventure or couples looking for a romantic, peaceful getaway.

“We’re thrilled to be able to help connect New Zealanders to this holiday hot spot once again. This is the last of all our international and seasonal routes to get up and running again post-COVID, so this certainly shows we are bouncing back.”

The route will operate three times per week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, until seasonal winter services end on October 27th. However, during the peak winter and school holidays between June 26th and July 30th, it will ramp up to five times per week.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Typically, July is when Auckland to Bali bookings peak, with 8,500 customers already booked. It’s probably unsurprising, given that July is the time when New Zealanders are in the depths of winter and need a good dose of sunshine to ward off the winter blues.

Flights to Bali are desperately needed

Air New Zealand sold more than 10,000 seats in the first week after bookings reopened. As a full-service carrier, Air New Zealand offers all passengers a meal, inflight entertainment and a checked bag, regardless of which cabin they have booked their seat.

Photo: Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock

Bali relies heavily on tourism for its economy, which has suffered significantly throughout the last few years. It is very keen to lure back Kiwis and Aussies, and Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, said that resuming nonstop services is wonderful news for the country. He added:

“Bali is, and will continue to be, the icon for Indonesia’s tourism industry, making up 41{8ac304f283d9048aa406820cdb3efba1388565cefcdaf9ad6f054e81ea9085be} of the country’s total tourism, and Ngurah Rai International Airport is by far the biggest entry point for foreign tourists.”

What do you think of Air New Zealand’s effort to restart 100{8ac304f283d9048aa406820cdb3efba1388565cefcdaf9ad6f054e81ea9085be} of its international network? Let us know in the comments.