JAKARTA, 6 August 2018: AirAsia is expanding its ASEAN footprint with four weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2) to Silangit Airport in Tapanuli, North Sumatra, Indonesia, beginning 28 October this year.
Silangit Airport is the main gateway to Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in ASEAN and considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
The new destination was announced at a press conference in Jakarta at the end of last week.
AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said: “As a truly ASEAN airline, we strive to connect more people and more places in this region we call home. I’ve always said Indonesia is much more than just Bali. Our new service from Kuala Lumpur to Silangit is part of our commitment to support the government of Indonesia in developing the 10 priority tourism destinations, including Lake Toba.”
He added: “We’ve always wan to bring people from all over the world to Lake Toba through our hub in Kuala Lumpur and we laud the Indonesian government for building the appropriate infrastructure to boost tourist arrivals.”
Prior to the opening of Silangit airport, travellers wishing to visit Lake Toba had to take a six-hour bus ride from Medan the nearest city with an airport.
Today, they can fly direct to Silangit and reach Lake Toba in just one hour. In addition to building new airports, Indonesia is also converting terminal 2 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport into a low-cost carrier terminal.
“We believe this is a step in the right direction and we will continue to fully support the tourism ministry to achieve 20 million tourist arrivals by 2019,” Fernandes said during the press conference.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, welcomed the launch of the new route. He is confident the new services will boost tourist arrivals to Lake Toba, which has been identified as one of Indonesia’s 10 priority tourism destinations.
He said: “I would like to thank AirAsia for launching direct services between Kuala Lumpur and Silangit. We are currently upgrading facilities at Silangit Airport and extending the runway length from 2,650 to 3,000 metres. We are also expanding the apron and terminal building to accommodate more aircraft and passengers. We hope this new route will benefit the local economy and community.”
AirAsia is offering special introductory all-in-fares from Kuala Lumpur to Silangit starting at MYR39.10. These fares are available for booking on airasia.com and AirAsia mobile app through to 12 August for the travel from 28 October to 29 March 2019.
BIG members will enjoy zero processing fees when making payment using BigPay card. BIG members can also redeem a one-way flight from Kuala Lumpur to Silangit with as little as 10 BIG points (base fare only).
Besides Silangit, AirAsia also flies to 15 other destinations in Indonesia namely Jakarta, Lombok, Pekanbaru, Surabaya, Bali, Medan, Padang, Semarang, Banda Aceh, Pontianak, Yogyakarta, Palembang, Bandung, Makassar and Solo.
Surrounded by luscious greenery, Lake Toba is already popular with nature adventure travellers. The lake is popular for its kayak excursions, while photography enthusiasts explore Bukit Indah, Nantampukmas Sidiangkat or Sapo Juma Tonggingor.
For other leisure activities, there are visits to a Batak village, which is inhabited by local ethnic groups, treks to the highest located waterfall in Indonesia, Sipisopiso Waterfall and climbs up Mount Berastagi.
Sipoholon Hot Springs is also popular while beach lovers can head to Sibolga, Pantai Bulbul, Free Beach Parapat, Pantai Silalahi and Pulau Samosir.
Flight Schedule for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) – Silangit – Lake Toba, Indonesia (DTB):
