Flight moment: Indonesia wants to launch direct flights from four Russian cities
Indonesia is considering launching direct flights from St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok and Kazan. This was reported to Izvestia at the republic's embassy in Moscow. So far, the offers are primarily focused on Bali: 92% of Russians arriving in the country choose this island. But Indonesia is ready to discuss the opening of flights to other tourist destinations — the islands of Lombok and Komodo, as well as to the capital Jakarta. At the same time, the republic would welcome the connection of new Russian carriers. The prospects for expanding direct flights between the two countries are described in the Izvestia article.
Indonesia is ready to expand flights with Russia
Indonesia is considering launching direct flights from several Russian cities at once, in addition to Moscow, the Embassy of the republic in the Russian Federation told Izvestia.
— These are several potential new direct routes from Russia to Indonesia, including flights from St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok and Kazan. However, at this stage, all these proposals are focused on Bali," the diplomatic mission clarified.
About 92% of Russians arriving in the country go to the island. In the future, a direct connection may cover the islands of Lombok and Komodo, as well as the capital Jakarta. The latter are located near Bali, which allows you to promote combined tours. According to the Indonesian side, Russian tourists are attracted primarily by high-quality beaches, diving, snorkeling, yachting and local flavor.
— We also expect that the expansion of flights will benefit other tourist destinations in Indonesia. Lombok and Komodo Island have a huge potential to attract Russian tourists — they offer a unique experience that complements Bali. Direct access to these destinations would help diversify tourist flows and attract tourists to other regions of the country," the embassy noted.
Direct flights to Jakarta would solve completely different tasks: the capital is important not so much as a tourist destination, but as a political and business destination. The bilateral trade turnover between Russia and Indonesia has reached about $5 billion in recent years, and Jakarta is a major transportation hub with easy access to Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Malang. The appearance of a direct route would thus give a noticeable boost to business cooperation between the two countries.
Izvestia has requested the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency.
According to the Indonesian side, the Russian Federation remains one of the leaders in the tourist flow among non-CIS countries: in 2025, over 219 thousand Russians visited the republic. On average, they spend about 26 days on vacation, which is noticeably longer than tourists from most other countries. Russians are thus becoming one of the most financially attractive categories for the local tourism industry.
What prevents the launch of new flights
The discussion of direct flights between Russia and Indonesia is based on legal subtleties and technical approvals from the republic. As Artur Muradian, ATOR's Vice President for Outbound Tourism, noted in a conversation with Izvestia, according to the current intergovernmental agreement, only Aeroflot appears as the designated carrier from the Russian side. Other Russian airlines, such as Azur Air, are interested in entering the Indonesian route, but they have not yet agreed on direct flights.
According to the expert, there is a technical barrier on the part of Indonesian carriers. Flights to Russia require a special aircraft insurance regime, the airline has its own long—haul aircraft and permits from lessors - it is not easy to get this entire package. So far, no such applications have been received from Indonesian carriers, although, as Muradian noted, if there is political will, a solution is quite achievable.
Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, drew attention to the fact that the issue of direct flights between Russia and Indonesia has been discussed for the past 10 years. As the expert told Izvestia, about five years ago, the national Indonesian Garuda Indonesia hatched plans to fly to Russia, but the program did not start then.
According to the expert, the initiative always lies with the diplomatic services and aviation authorities, and specific decisions are at the level of airlines, regulators and lessors. There are already working precedents: this year, direct flights between Russia and Zanzibar were launched, and direct flights to Thailand continue to operate, although only by Russian carriers. It turns out that the project is technically feasible, but it certainly requires efforts from both sides.
The economy of the route is also a factor in the stagnation of the process. As Gorin noted, a direct flight is usually more expensive than a connecting flight, so its commercial success depends on load guarantees. Bali has it — the destination is in demand not only for tourism, but also for long-term living, remote work and buying real estate, which ensures a stable flow. That is why Aeroflot operates four flights a week to Denpasar. According to the expert, the expansion of communication between Moscow and Jakarta opens up the greatest prospects, since this direction will give an impetus not only to outbound tourism, but also to the incoming flow from Indonesia to Russia, as well as the development of business contacts between the countries.
At the same time, as Muradyan noted, the tourism market is currently experiencing a situational surplus of transportation after the resumption of access to the Middle East. Therefore, it is the geographical expansion of the route network that can provide the main increase.
If it is possible to coordinate flights from St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok and Kazan, the Russian tourist flow to Indonesia will be able to grow significantly. However, this will become possible only after the issue of designated carriers and technical approvals with the Indonesian side is resolved.
Izvestia also sent a request to airlines that could launch direct flights. In the meantime, despite the active interest of the Indonesian side and the growing bilateral trade, the promotion remains for diplomacy.
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