JAKARTA - AirAsia has started direct flights between Jakarta and Kota Bharu, opening a new Indonesia link for Kelantan. Tourism Malaysia said in a June 16 release that inaugural service AK2354 arrived at Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Bharu at 15:50 local time.
The flight was operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 180 seats. Tourism Malaysia said the inaugural service carried 117 passengers, mainly Indonesian and Singaporean visitors and Malaysian travellers returning home.
AirAsia Malaysia announced the route on March 10, saying it would operate four weekly flights between Kota Bharu and Jakarta from June 16. The airline said the service was its 20th route to Indonesia and its first international route between Kota Bharu and Indonesia in the second half of the year.
Dato’ Captain Fareh Mazputra, General Manager of AirAsia Malaysia, said, “We are proud to launch this new direct service between Jakarta and Kota Bharu.” He said the route would help bring more travellers from Indonesia to Kelantan before Visit Malaysia 2026.
The service connects Kota Bharu with Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and gives Kelantan a direct air link to Indonesia’s capital. Tourism Malaysia said the route is expected to support leisure travel, medical tourism and people-to-people movement between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Kelantan is promoting the route through cultural, heritage and nature-based attractions. Tourism Malaysia named Pasar Siti Khadijah, Masjid Kampung Laut, Kampung Kraftangan and Stong Geopark among the destinations accessible through Kota Bharu.
The state also sits near Malaysia’s border with southern Thailand. Tourism Malaysia said travellers can continue from Kelantan to Hat Yai, Narathiwat and Pattani, or use the state as a transit point to East Coast islands including Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Redang and Pulau Kapas.
The route starts during a busy year for Malaysia-Indonesia travel. Tourism Malaysia said the two countries were connected by 634 weekly flights as of April 2026, offering more than 114,806 seats a week.
AirAsia said in its March 10 announcement that it operated more than 370 weekly flights between Malaysia and Indonesia and carried nearly 3 million passengers between the two countries in 2025. The airline said the new route also supports Kelantan’s target of attracting 12 million domestic and international tourists in 2026.
