TransNusa begins direct Bali-Phuket service with full inaugural flight

TransNusa’s first direct flight from Bali to Phuket arrived at Phuket International Airport with all 174 seats occupied on 9 September 2026, opening a new air link between the two tourism destinations.

Flight 8B541 departed I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport at 11.30am and landed in Phuket at 2.35pm. The route is initially operated four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, using a 174-seat Airbus A320-200. The schedule adds about 700 seats a week between Bali and Thailand, with daily flights due to begin on 3 October.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the service supports the agency’s Airline Focus strategy and the government’s Ease of Travelling policy. She said it would improve air access within Southeast Asia and create opportunities to attract more Indonesian visitors to Phuket.

TransNusa Group chief executive Datuk Bernard Francis described the route as a link between two major tourism destinations, saying travellers could include both Phuket and Bali in one itinerary.

TAT recorded 429,778 arrivals from Indonesia between 1 January and 7 September 2026, compared with 787,524 for the whole of 2025. The agency is targeting 890,000 Indonesian visitors in 2026.

According to TAT figures, 84.70% of Indonesian visitors travel independently and 52.86% have previously visited Thailand. Their preferred activities include Thai food, historical attractions, community-based experiences, spa treatments and beaches.

TAT and TransNusa signed a memorandum of understanding in Jakarta on 4 August covering destination marketing, travel-product development and air connectivity. The Bali-Phuket route is the airline’s second new Thailand service in just over a month, following the launch of its Jakarta-Bangkok route on 6 August.

TransNusa is offering an introductory one-way fare of US$135, or IDR2,399,000, for the new service.