AirAsia launches new hub in Lombok, unveils specially-designed livery

AirAsia has launched its latest hub on the island of Lombok, in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province. The new Lombok hub is part of AirAsia’s ongoing efforts to support the Indonesian government and Ministry of Tourism’s initiative to develop Lombok as one of “10 New Balis”. Lombok is AirAsia’s fifth hub in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Bali.AirAsia has also recently announced flights from Lombok to Perth beginning 9 June 2019, as well as connecting Lombok to domestic destinations such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bali in the near future. According to a press release, the Airbus A320 aircraft with registration code PK-AXU will be operating the flights.In conjunction with the launch, AirAsia has unveiled a specially-designed livery featuring Lombok’s tourism icons, such as the majestic Mount Rinjani and the underwater charm of the Gili islands. In addition, the airline company will launch a number of sustainability initiatives following relief efforts by its philanthropic arm, AirAsia Foundation, which has worked with Yayasan Arkom Indonesia to build temporary shelters and residential areas on the island following a series of earthquakes in 2018.AirAsia Indonesia CEO Dendy Kurniawan said the hub in Lombok will “not only enhance international and domestic connectivity, but also create local job opportunities, stimulate tourism growth, and contribute to Lombok’s visitor economy”. He added that the launch of this new hub “affirms” AirAsia’s commitment to support tourism in Indonesia, and helps that its new livery slogan “I Love Lombok” will encourage more people to visit the island.Arief Yahya, minister of tourism in Indonesia, said that AirAsia has made “the right choice” by choosing to launch its hub in Lombok due to its “rapidly growing” tourism, as well as its “natural beauty and cultural heritage”.“In developing tourism destinations, I always use the 3As formula: Attractions, Access, Amenities. What AirAsia has done is aligned with this, especially Access. We truly appreciate AirAsia’s cooperation in helping us to develop Indonesian tourism,” he added.