Travellers from Brisbane have a new option to Indonesia and Malaysia following the arrival of Malindo Air to the Queensland capital.
The Malaysia-based airline, which is a joint-venture between Malaysia’s National Aerospace and Defense Industry (NADI) and Indonesia’s Lion Group, has commenced daily flights to Brisbane.
The inaugural service, OD157 operated by Boeing 737-800 9M-LNQ, touched down at Brisbane Airport a little after 0600 on Saturday, where it was met with an Airservices Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) monitor cross.
The aircraft was on the ground for 75 minutes before taking off as the reciprocal OD158.
The daily service will operate via a Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar-Brisbane-Denpasar-Kuala Lumpur routing, with the airline having pickup rights on the Denpasar-Brisbane sector.
It is Malindo’s second destination in Australia, having launched nonstop Kuala Lumpur-Perth flights in November 2015.
Jetstar and Virgin Australia offer nonstop flights between Denpasar and Brisbane, while there are no carriers flying nonstop on the Kuala Lumpur-Brisbane route after Malaysia Airlines withdrew service in August 2015.
Brisbane Airport said in a statement the start the Malindo flights represented additional capacity of about 130,000 seats a year.
“It’s exciting to celebrate partnerships with new airlines such as Malindo Air as they provide greater choice and convenience for passengers and global connectivity for Queensland,” Brisbane Airport chief executive Julieanne Alroe said.
