All Tiger Air flights in and out of Bali were cancelled on Thursday as the Australian airline’s dispute with the Indonesian government dragged into a second day.
Flights in the early hours of Friday were also cancelled, leaving many passengers stranded. The remaining five flights to and from Bali on Friday operated by Tiger Air were also placed under review.
Virgin Australia immediately announced plans to operate two flights from Bali on Thursday in order to bring as many affected customers back to Australia as possible.
The flights were authorized by Head of Cooperation and Public Relations Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Agoes Soebagio. Flying licenses were also signed by the Director of Air Transport Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Maryati Karma, giving permission for the airline to carry passengers affected by the cancellations to Tiger Air flights cancelled on 10 January.
“This permission is (granted) purely to provide services to passengers from Denpasar – Bali to return to Australia. Permits are only valid for one-way flights, from Bali to Australia only and do not apply to the reverse, “he said.
Customers in Australia who were affected by the cancellation of Thursday’s Tiger Air services were also offered a full refund by the airline.
The disruption was caused after the Indonesian government imposed new conditions on Tiger Air over its access to Denpasar airport.
Tiger Air flights from Bali to Australia were terminated by the Indonesian airport authority Region IV because the airline was adjudged to have not met the rules of the license granted.
Soebagio Agoes stated that foreign airlines operating in Indonesia must still comply with the rules of flight in Indonesia. These rules relate to aviation safety and security. “All foreign airlines must comply with these rules. (If they do not), we will also enforce sanctions to any and all foreign airlines (that do not meet the standards),” said Agoes.
In a statement from the affected airline, Tiger Air stated that it “was and is in compliance with all original conditions imposed by the Indonesian government on the operation of its Bali services. Tiger Air is working with the relevant Indonesian authorities to meet the new requirements as soon as possible.†The dispute continues.
