Indonesian carrier TransNusa is reporting nearly 20 per cent business growth while continuing to expand capacity across South-east Asia and regional markets.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)-TransNusa MoU signing in Jakarta recently, Bernard Francis, aviation group CEO of TransNusa, said the airline would continue expanding its network by adding aircraft, increasing frequencies and launching selective new routes.
The carrier will launch twice-daily services between Jakarta and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 6, followed by the Denpasar-Phuket route in September.
“We also hope to get additional slots at Changi Airport, Singapore, so we can increase the (Jakarta-Singapore) frequency, potentially from three to five times a day,” Francis said.
The airline is also awaiting approval to launch the Lampung-Kuala Lumpur route, which it expects to start next month.
In the longer term, TransNusa is interested in operating international flights from Bandung once Husein Sastranegara Airport fully reopens for international operations.
“We have proposed routes from Bandung to Malaysia and Singapore, and this is awaiting the decision of the regulator and airport authorities,” he added.
Supporting its expansion plans, TransNusa will add four aircraft before the end of the year. The airline currently operates 19 aircraft comprising Airbus A320s, A321s and C909s.
Looking ahead, Francis is considering adding more aircraft next year to support further network expansion to Australia, China and South-east Asia.
The expansion plans come as the carrier reports nearly 20 per cent business growth.
“Because we added more flights, our business grew by nearly 20 per cent (in the first half of the year), driven by higher passenger numbers. Our load factor is around 80 per cent,” he said.
Francis said TransNusa has remained relatively insulated from geopolitical uncertainty because of its focus on domestic and regional markets.
“TransNusa focuses on domestic and regional flights in South-east Asia. We see that many people who previously planned to travel to Europe are now diverting their trips to destinations in Asia. Most choose to travel to Singapore, Malaysia, China and Australia.”
TransNusa currently operates from three hubs: Jakarta, Bali and Manado. From Jakarta, the carrier serves Kuala Lumpur (four daily flights), Penang, Subang, Singapore, Guangzhou, Yogyakarta and Singkawang.
From Bali, it operates to Perth (three daily flights), Singapore (twice daily), Guangzhou, Manado, Lombok, Bima, Waingapu and Wakatobi. Meanwhile, the Manado hub serves Sorong, Timika and other destinations in Papua.
For the rest of the year, the airline will focus on increasing frequencies on existing routes rather than launching multiple new services.
“Our focus is increasing frequencies to Singapore, Malaysia and also domestic destinations. We don’t want to open many new routes in an unbalanced economic situation. Instead, we will increase the frequency,” Francis said.
