update

Come September, a rising adventure tourism destination in eastern Indonesia will finally get its first international air link.
<figure id="attachment_138830" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138830" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138830 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Komodo-National-Park-Padar-Island-santa-barbara-unsplash.jpg" alt="A view of Padar Island, a popular hiking spot in Komodo National Park." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138830" class="wp-caption-text">A view of Padar Island, a popular hiking spot in Komodo National Park. (Photo: Santa Barbara/Unsplash)</figcaption></figure>
Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has announced the upcoming launch of a direct service between its main hub at Kuala Lumpur and Labuan Bajo, a fast-growing resort town that is the gateway to Komodo National Park — one of Indonesia’s 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites. The nearby park draws visitors from far and wide for its stellar diving, scenic landscapes, and namesake dragons, which are the largest species of lizard on the planet.
Scheduled to take off on September 3, 2024, AirAsia’s Labuan Bajo service will operate thrice a week. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, flight AK336 is set to depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 11:10 a.m. to land at Komodo International Airport at 2:25 p.m. The return flight, AK337, will leave Labuan Bajo at 2:55 p.m. and arrive back in Kuala Lumpur at 6:35 p.m.
To celebrate the route launch, AirAsia is offering a “free seat” promotion with one-way fares from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo starting at just RM 179 (US$38). Meanwhile, tickets from Labuan Bajo to Kuala Lumpur are priced from only IDR 469,000 (US$29). These special rates are available until July 14 on AirAsia MOVE (formerly airasia Superapp) and <a href="https://www.airasia.com/en/gb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airasia.com</a>, and are valid for travel between September 3, 2024 and March 29, 2025.
The new route promises to more than halve the current fastest travel time from Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia. Compared to flying three hours and 15 minutes nonstop, Malaysia-based visitors looking to arrive on the same day will have to endure a journey of seven and a half hours, including a three-hour transit in Bali.
Labuan Bajo has been earmarked by the Indonesian government as one of five <a href="https://destinasian.com/editorial/what-next-for-komodo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“super-priority” destinations</a> in an effort to disperse visitors more evenly throughout the archipelago. Authorities are now expanding the airport apron; in April, officials announced that they would also extend the 2,650-meter-long runway by 100 meters to accommodate larger passenger aircraft including Airbus A330s.
<a href="https://www.airasia.com/en/gb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airasia.com</a>
<figure id="attachment_138831" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138831" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138831 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Komodo-Dragon-mitch-hodiono-unsplash.jpg" alt="One of the resident Komodo dragons on a beach in Komodo National Park." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138831" class="wp-caption-text">One of the resident Komodo dragons on a beach in Komodo National Park. (Photo: Mitch Hodiono/Unsplash)</figcaption></figure>

A view of Padar Island in Komodo National Park.

AirAsia to Start Kuala Lumpur–Labuan Bajo Flights