Tigerair Australia withdraws from Bali

Tigerair Australia has suspended all flights to Bali, less than a year after it started flying to the island.

The low-cost carrier said the decision had been taken after Indonesian authorities said they would not authorise Tigerair’s flights to Bali in future. The airline was told to find an “alternative regulatory solution”, but Tigerair said that this would “take at least six months to implement”.

“As a result of this development, Tigerair Australia has made the difficult decision to withdraw from flying between Australia and Bali permanently, effective today,” the airline said in a statement on Friday 3 February.

Passengers booked to Tigerair Australia’s Bali flights from 3 February onwards will be contacted and offered full refunds. Those currently in Bali will be rebooked on other airlines, including Virgin Australia.

Bali became Tigerair Australia’s first international destination when it launched flights to the island in March 2016, with services from Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.