JAKARTA – Indonesia and Thailand have launched new direct flight routes linking major cities in both countries, with leaders describing the expanded air connectivity as a key step towards strengthening tourism and bilateral relations.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the new services between Jakarta and Bangkok, as well as Denpasar and Phuket, are expected to enhance people-to-people exchanges and support closer cooperation between the two countries, as reported by Antara.
"In terms of connectivity, we welcome the opening of new direct flight routes from Jakarta to Bangkok and Denpasar to Phuket, which are expected to further strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries," Prabowo said during a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at the Merdeka Palace on August 3.
The new routes are backed by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Indonesian airline TransNusa to strengthen tourism connectivity.
Anutin said the Phuket-Bali route would support priority tourism segments, including wellness tourism, cruise tourism, and the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry.
The two countries also expanded private-sector cooperation through an MoU between Bio Axel and Pro Consilium to develop an organic waste processing project.
Anutin also welcomed the adoption of the Indonesia-Thailand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2026-2030, describing it as a framework to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.
He said Thai businesses remain confident in Indonesia's economic prospects and are keen to strengthen long-term partnerships in sustainable fisheries, food processing, agriculture, energy, the halal economy and digital services.
