Budget carrier AirAsia is making it easier for long-haul travellers to get up close to the world’s largest lizard, the fearsome Komodo dragon, by launching the first direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo.
According to the airline, the new route will improve accessibility to Labuan Bajo, which it described as “a gateway to the world-famous Komodo National Park and the picturesque island of Flores.”
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s largest city and commercial capital, is a hub for flights between Asia and Europe, with non-stop routes from Amsterdam and London and connections to dozens of other cities via stopovers in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai and Istanbul. Kuala Lumpur, in turn, is a popular stopover for travellers between Australia and Europe.
Komodo dragons have long been the subject of nature documentaries and viral internet videos. They can reach lengths of 3 meters and weigh over 100 kilograms.
The lizards are capable of taking down buffalo and have been filmed swallowing whole smaller prey such as young goats. With a slobbering, fanged mouth full of bacteria and toxins, a dragon can kill an adult human with a single bite.
The Indonesian government is promoting destinations like Komodo, the island after which the dragons are named, in an attempt to increase visitor numbers and drive tourists away from overcrowded and wildly popular Bali.
The government earlier this year announced a plan to eliminate holiday visa requirements for citizens of 20 countries. In April, Indonesian airline TransNusa added routes to Manado, a dive site on the island of Sulawesi, and from Manado to Ambon, the regional capital of the former “Spice Islands.”
Despite being just one of thousands of islands that make up the 5,000-kilometre-wide Indonesian archipelago, Bali attracts half the country’s tourists each year. Local authorities on the island have introduced a tax in an attempt to curb overtourism.
