AirAsia will offer direct flights to Balikpapan , East Kalimantan Indonesia

SEPANG, 8 December 2007 – AirAsia will offer direct flights to Balikpapan , East Kalimantan Indonesia from January 12, 2011. This new service from Kuala Lumpur will be AirAsia’s 11th destination in Indonesia . AirAsia will begin servicing the new route with three (3) flights weekly departing from LCC Terminal, Kuala Lumpur to Sepinggan Airport , Balikpapan on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

AirAsia has the most extensive service in Indonesia with plying Bali, Banda Aceh, Bandung , Jakarta , Medan , Padang , Pekan Baru, Solo, Surabaya , Makassar, Yogyakarta and now Balikpapan . The introduction of this new destination will see AirAsia have 126 flights weekly from Kuala Lumpur to the various points in Indonesia .

Balikpapan, a city on the island of Borneo , in Indonesia is the second largest city in the province of East Kalimantan . Mostly surrounded by sea, Balikpapan is an important center of the petroleum, mining, and timber industries. There are myriad of attractions in Balikpapan such as the beautiful Melawai and Manggar Segarasari beaches, Bekapai Park , Wanawisata Garden , Agro Tourism Garden , Crocodile Teritip Breeding Farm and shopping centers.

In addition to that, tourists can also visit neighboring attractions such as the Orang Utan sanctuary at Semboja Lodge, floating market at Banjarmasin , diving at Derawan islands, canoeing while witnessing species of monkeys and caves along Kandilo River and many more.

Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial, AirAsia says “We are delighted to extend our AirAsia network to include an emerging market like Balikpapan . We hope this new service will enable Malaysians who are working in the oil palm and coal mining industry to return home more often and provide expatriates with the opportunity to use LCCT as a hub for onward travel into other AirAsia destinations throughout ASEAN. We also believe that his new service will stimulate Visiting Friends and Relatives crowd and fuel AirAsia’s aggressive growth in Indonesia .”