Indonesia AirAsia Extra inaugural Melbourne flight delayed indefinitely by Australian regulator
Long haul affiliate of Indonesia AirAsia cancels its first flight from Bali to Melbourne after failing to secure approval from Australia's Civil Aviation Authority
Long-haul budget carrier Indonesia AirAsia Extra has delayed indefinitely the launch of its inaugural flight between Bali and Melbourne after failing to get the approval of Australian regulators, airline and airport officials said on Wednesday.
Approvals were not forthcoming partly due to Australian concerns about Indonesia’s aviation safety record, especially after an Airbus plane operated by sister airline Indonesia AirAsia crashed last month, said a source familiar with the situation.
Indonesia AirAsia Extra, an affiliate of Malaysian long-haul budget airline AirAsia X Bhd, started selling tickets for flights between Denpasar, the capital of Bali, and Melbourne on October 28.
But the airline said on Tuesday that an “unforeseen delay in acquiring confirmation from a third party organisation” had led to a delay.
Indonesia AirAsia X (as Indonesia AirAsia Extra is also known) is working with Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to complete the “administration process” as soon as possible, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
APPROVAL PENDING
