Tigerair permanently ends all Aust-Bali flights

Tigerair Australia has permanently and immediately ended all flights between Australia and Bali, after failing to receive approvals from the Indonesian government.

The Indonesian government told the airline that it requires an alternative regulatory solution for Tigerair to continue its operations to Bali – a process the company says would take at least six months to implement.

As a result, the airline has instead permanently withdrawn from making flights between Australia and Bali with immediate effect, with chief executive Rob Sharp saying customers booked to travel to and from the popular holiday destination would receive full refunds.

“We have been advised by Indonesian authorities that, in order to continue operating our flights to Bali, we would have to transfer to a new operating model that would take at least six months to implement and would compromise our ability to offer low-cost airfares to Australians,” Mr Sharp said.

“Providing a reliable, low-cost service is critical for Tigerair Australia and our customers, and therefore our only option is to withdraw from flying to Bali altogether.

“We will continue to work with Virgin Australia to support any passengers still in Bali and needing to travel home to Australia. We will also provide full refunds to customers who were booked to travel to and from Bali with us.”