Air New Zealand sells 3500 tickets to Bali in 24 hours

Thousands of Kiwis were quick to get tickets after Air New Zealand announced the return of their Bali route. Photo / Sarah Pollok

Air New Zealand sold more than 3500 seats on its newly resumed Bali route just 24 hours after tickets went on sale.

On October 31, the airline announced it would restart its seasonal service from Auckland to Denpasar in March 2023.

This was great news for Bali-loving Kiwis who currently must fly via Australia to reach the tropical destination.

When Indonesia closed its borders to international travel in 2020, it was just weeks before the popular winter route would have started for the year.

"Our last flight was in 2019 when we flew around 17,000 customers," says Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty.

It seems Kiwis haven't lost their love of Bali. Within hours of announcing the return of direct flights, more than 3500 tickets were sold.

From March 29, NZ64 will depart Auckland three times a week for Bali on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Most travellers appear to be keen on a winter escape, especially families looking for somewhere warm to spend the school holidays, with July being the most popular month for travel next year.

The most popular route booked was Auckland to Denpasar direct, however, one-third of sales were from other domestic ports around Aotearoa. Of the domestic ports outside of Auckland, Christchurch was the most popular.

A more direct route with Air New Zealand will be a relief to those who struggled with delays and cancellations when flying via Australia.

Around 4000 travellers experienced issues with the Jetstar route in September, leaving some travellers up to $2500 out of pocket.

Air New Zealand is the first airline in Aotearoa to announce its return to direct links to Indonesia.

Travelling to Bali

Since New Zealand citizens receive a visa on arrival, entry is quite straightforward.

However, there are still vaccination requirements in place, so check up-to-date details on the

official ministry of tourism's website

.