24 August 2023
More choice between Auckland and Perth is now on offer with tomorrow’s early morning touchdown of Batik Air.
The Malaysian-based, full-service carrier is flying direct six times a week to Perth and on to Kuala Lumpur, adding another option to Western Australia for Kiwi travellers. At present Air New Zealand is the only airline flying direct to Perth from New Zealand, currently using aircraft leased from Wamos Air.
Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officer at Auckland Airport said the new connection through to Perth reflected growing demand for the Western Australian destination.
“Pre-pandemic around 143,000 people travelled between Auckland and Perth. We’ve seen a really strong recovery in those numbers, which are back to around 96% of 2019 traveller numbers, which is higher than the 77% for the overall international recovery. In part that’s likely to reflect Western Australia’s popularity among New Zealanders making a more permanent move across the Tasman,” said Mr Tasker.
Around 14% – or approximately 85,000 – New Zealanders resident in Australia call Western Australia home, driving strong VFR (visiting friends and relatives) visitation.
“Western Australia is also a great destination in and of itself and the breakfast-time departure from Auckland means you’ll be arriving in Perth in time for lunch,” said Mr Tasker
“Or if you’re keen to travel beyond Perth, then either carry on to Kuala Lumpur and connect with Batik’s impressive Southeast Asia or take a connecting Batik flight from Perth to Denpasar Bali.
“Again, Bali has been a very popular destination for New Zealanders, offering a unique blend of culture, food, outdoor activities and fun nightlife in a tropical setting that gives it huge appeal to a broad range of travellers.”
Between 2015 and 2019 traveller numbers between Auckland and Bali have grown 239%, peaking at nearly 140,000 pre-pandemic.
The addition of Batik Air’s connection provides a third option through to Kuala Lumpur, joining Malaysian Airlines direct service flying eight times per week and AirAsia X flying seven times per week via Sydney.
Flying out:
- Batik Air, formerly known as Malindo Air, flying six direct flights per week to between Auckland and Perth from 25 August with onward same flight connectivity from Perth to Kuala Lumpur
- Full-service carrier, offering business & economy classes, inflight entertainment, and meals
- Brand-new Boeing 737-8 aircraft with 12 business and 150 economy class seats
- Inaugural flight OD195 arriving in Auckland on 25 August at 4:45am from Perth. OD 196 departs the same day at 7:00am from Auckland, touching down in Perth at 10:40am and Kuala Lumpur at 6:10pm
- Batik Air offers connections from Kuala Lumpur to eight domestic destinations in Malaysia, and 31 destinations across Asia (including seven cities in India and four cities in Japan).
ENDS
Hi res images of the Batik aircraft at Auckland Airport available after departure, 24 August 2023.