In a significant blow to Bali tourism, AirAsia has been forced to axe routes from Australia to Bali due to surging jet fuel costs.
Emblematic of the escalating fallout from the US misadventure in Iran and the Middle East, AirAsia will cease flights from Melbourne and Adelaide to Denpasar, Bali, effective 18 June 2026.
Indonesia AirAsia general manager Achmad Sadikin Abdurachman said: “This decision has been made in response to the sustained increase in global jet fuel prices caused by the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East. This operating environment has led to the need to refocus our network on routes that remain operationally viable at this time.
Continuing Abdurachman said: “AirAsia understands the suspension impacts long-made travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience this decision has caused, and we want to thank our guests for their support and understanding.”
Due to current crude oil prices exceeding USD100 per barrel, the cost of fueling an aircraft on an international flight has more than doubled since the commencement of the US and Israel bombing attacks on Iran.
In the USA, increased fuel prices became the final nail in the financial coffin of the ultra-budget airline Spirit Airlines, which shut down on 02 May 2026 after 50 years of operation.
As recently as March 3036, AirAsia was still very bullish on its Bali-bound flights, announcing that the Adelaide to Bali flights would increase from 4 weekly to 7 weekly (daily), and, moreover, the weekly frequency would soon be increased to 10 during peak travel periods.
March 3 was also the date AirAsia announced daily flights from Melbourne to Bali. These flights will also end on 18 June 2026.
Somewhat ironically, AirAsia’s introduction of Adelaide and Melbourne flights precipitated the “strategic” axing of AirAsia flights from Darwin to Kuala Lumpur and Darwin to Bali, routes operated by AirAsia Malaysia and Indonesia AirAsia, respectively, launched by the Airline in March and June 2025.
The focus on Adelaide and Melbourne meant the Darwin to Kuala Lumpur and Darwin to Bali routes were axed; those routes were operated by AirAsia Malaysia and Indonesia AirAsia, respectively, and had only been running since March and June of 2025.
Source: Bali Discovery
