Bali-based start-up Air Paradise International is to begin operations on 16 February after a delay of nearly four months caused by October's terrorist attack that devastated the Indonesian island's tourism industry.
The bomb attacks, less than two weeks before the airline's original start date of 27 October, killed nearly 200 people, mostly foreign tourists, in and around the Sari nightclub.
Air Paradise will initially serve Perth and Melbourne from Denpasar, using an ex-Singapore Airlines Airbus A310-300. A domestic connecting service to Jakarta will also be offered.
Tickets went on sale on 6 January and although the airline is yet to reveal its pricing structure, it pledges to set fares at a level that will "encourage travellers to return to Bali".
Airline owner, Bali businessman Kadek Wiranatha, says: "Now, more than ever, I firmly believe Bali has a need for its own international airline, dedicated to promoting our island to ensure the recovery of tourism."
Flights to Taipei and Seoul are due to start when the carrier receives a second A310-300.
Source: Flight International
