Lake Toba, 5th September 2022. Indonesia AirAsia has once again reinforced its support for the development of domestic connectivity and tourism in the country by officially launching the Jakarta-Silangit route today.

The inaugural flight also marks the beginning of a strong partnership between Indonesia AirAsia, its parent company Capital A and key government, tourism and industry stakeholders to boost its presence globally and make Lake Toba a must see tourism drawcard in the country. To signify its commitment to the economic development of the region and community empowerment, Indonesia AirAsia also today launched the new tagline “Terbang Lagi Indonesia” or translated as “Fly Again Indonesia.”

In addition, Capital A signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lake Toba Tourism Authority, the Del Institute of Technology and community-based social entrepreneur company, Tobatenun. The collaboration aims to deliver a range of local training and knowledge sharing initiatives, not only in the aviation industry, but also across numerous areas of technology and digital innovation upskilling.

CEO of Capital A Tony Fernandes said, “I am very honoured to be able to attend and fly to Lake Toba on this special inaugural flight. Lake Toba, as one of Indonesia’s super priority destinations which is also part of UNESCO's Geopark, has huge unlocked potential to offer both local and international tourists; not only in terms of unique attractions but also with many unknown experiences, ranging from its rich biodiversity to the culture and way of life of its people. Our brand is centred around accessibility, affordability, inclusivity and serving the underserved, including helping SMEs to adapt to the new digital era, which today’s announcement is all about. Indonesia is one of our most popular and most important destinations and therefore we are thrilled to be able to play our part to promote and support this incredible destination. Our great value fares stimulate air travel wherever we fly and we look forward to partnering with key stakeholders to make sure Lake Toba is a top super priority location in the near future.”

CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, Veranita Yosephine Sinaga said, “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all those who have supported this event and making our inaugural flight and series of other events in Lake Toba a success. Through this series of activities, we want to emphasise Indonesia AirAsia's commitment as a national airline, which supports the development of tourist destinations in Indonesia as a whole. Not only by adding routes, but also by establishing strategic partnerships to promote tourism products and the creative economy as well as being involved in efforts to develop rural education and empower the surrounding community, especially in Lake Toba. We are very proud to be working with the Lake Toba Tourism Authority and Tobatenun for this purpose and look forward to the many collaborations we will have together. We believe that with AirAsia's global brand, we can provide a significant boost to Lake Toba tourism in the future."

Indonesia AirAsia Inaugural flight from Jakarta to Silangit

Indonesia AirAsia marked its inaugural flight from Jakarta to Silangit on September 2. The flight which departed from Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK) at 11:50 and arrived at Silangit International Airport (DTB) at 13:50, was greeted on arrival by a water cannon salute provided by PT Angkasa Pura II Silangit Airport. VIP guests were welcomed by a local custom called “mangulosi” or draping an ulos (traditional woven cloth) onto the guests. The Ulos is provided by Tobatenun, which is made by a community of weavers in the villages around Lake Toba. Tobatenun ensures that the precious hand woven cloth was made by prioritising the values of sustainability, environmental friendliness and fair trade. The guests were also greeted with a local traditional dance before heading to the event venue around the arrival area of Silangit Airport.

The inauguration of the Indonesia AirAsia Jakarta-Silangit flight was attended by the Regent of North Tapanuli, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and also local aviation and tourism stakeholders.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding

1. Between Capital A and the Del Institute of Technology

On September 3, 2022, the CEO of Capital A, Tony Fernandes, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chancellor of the Del Institute of Technology, Dr. Arnaldo Marulitua Sinaga, ST, M.InfoTech witnessed by Mr. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan as the Chairperson of the Del Foundation's Trustees.

Both parties agreed to collaborate in the fields of education, research and community service in accordance with the core of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education in an effort to support the empowerment and development of local communities.

Through this Memorandum of Understanding, Capital A will open opportunities through various forms of cooperation, including offering outstanding students the chance to work at AirAsia and join the global team of Allstars. The partnership will also encourage knowledge sharing and various other programs in collaboration between the two parties.

The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding was held at the Del Institute of Technology where the CEO of Capital A Tony Fernandes provided an inspiring presentation for all students.

2. Indonesia AirAsia and the Lake Toba Authority Implementing Body (BPODT)

On September 3, 2022, the President Director of Indonesia AirAsia, Veranita Yosephine Sinaga signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the President Director of the Lake Toba Authority Implementing Agency (BPODT), Mr. Jimmy Bernando Panjaitan.

Through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with BPODT, Indonesia AirAsia is committed to helping open opportunities for cooperation in developing tourism and the creative economy around Lake Toba, including selling merchandise and numerous other promotional activities and programmes.

As the world's best low-cost airline 12 times in a row and with significant global brand exposure, AirAsia can provide a welcome boost for BPODT's vision to help develop Lake Toba tourism into a World Class Super Volcano Geopark Destination.

As stated by the CEO of Capital A Tony Fernandes, Lake Toba not only presents beautiful natural attractions, but also the creative and diverse culture of the people. This was appreciated by a number of foreign guests who joined this two day event. The invited guests visited several tourist attractions around Lake Toba and tasted the culinary delights while participating in a series of sightseeing and banquet activities organised by the Lake Toba Tourism Authority.

The CEO of Lake Toba Authority, Jimmy Panjaitan said that one of the most important things in tourism is access. The new flight service from AirAsia will make us even more confident that Lake Toba tourism is progressing and will help boost opportunities for MSME business to revive, which will transform the livelihood of families and all the people of Lake Toba.

3. Indonesia AirAsia and Tobatenun

Tobatenun CEO Kerri Na Basaria Pandjaitan said, “We are delighted with the opening of AirAsia's new route, Jakarta-Silangit. We hope the productivity of international tourism development will increase, as well as empower and develop local communities and SMEs, especially Lake Toba and its surroundings.”

Tobatenun's journey began in 2018 with a simple wish; to support the Batak garment weaving art, or in the Toba Batak language referred to as 'Ulos'. Tobatenun was founded with an idea of social entrepreneurship which hopes to improve the quality of life of the Batak weaving makers along with their interconnected ecosystem in various villages in North Sumatra. This will be achieved through a number of education and training activities to revitalise Batak weaving motifs and manufacturing techniques that are almost extinct, together with restoring environmentally friendly manufacture. Tobatenun is an affiliate of the Del Foundation which engages in the cultural pillar and actively helps the community develop through social empowerment activities for the community, especially women.

Tobatenun's mission to empower women is also an issue that is closely related to CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, Veranita Yosephine Sinaga, who is also Indonesia’s only professional female airline CEO. Veranita, has been actively involved in discussing women issues on several occasions, including one of them being a speaker at the W20 event which was held on Lake Toba in recent times..

Through the collaboration between Indonesia AirAsia and Toba Tenun, AirAsia will provide numerous opportunities for the promotion of Tobatenun products on board flights and across other platforms, including special branding on an aircraft livery. In addition, the collaboration between AirAsia and Tobatenun will drive strong public awareness of the value of community-based traditional creative products that promote the core values of sustainability, environmental friendly and fair trade.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Indonesia AirAsia and Tobatenun was carried out on September 3, 2022 by Indonesia AirAsia CEO Veranita Yosephine Sinaga and Tobatenun CEO Kerri Na Basaria.

The series of activities between Indonesia AirAsia and Tobatenun continued the next day where some invited guests hopped on to a ferry crossing the lake to Samosir Island to visit the villages of Tobatenun's weaving partners, to get to know Tobatenun's Batak garment traditions which promotes the values of sustainability, environmental friendliness, and fair trade.

AirAsia continues to drive efforts to support tourism in Indonesia through various collaborations with central, regional and local tourism stakeholders. AirAsia will provide Jakarta - Silangit flights 3 times a week every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday using an Airbus A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 passengers including free baggage allowance of 20 kg and a cabin baggage allowance of 7 kg. Services will expand in line with demand.

Flight tickets for the Jakarta-Silangit route can now be ordered through the airasia Super App, airasia.com, online travel agents and other official ticket sales agents. For group bookings of 10 people or more, please contact AirAsia Group Desk service via email to iaa_groupdesk@airasia.com.

AirAsia continues to urge customers to implement strict health protocols by meeting the travel requirements according to the latest regulations set by the government.

For the latest news, activities and airasia promotions, follow Twitter (twitter.com/airasia_indo), Facebook (facebook.com/airasiasuperapp.id), and Instagram (instagram.com/airasuperapp.id).

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Indonesia AirAsia together with Capital A make a commitment to support tourism and community empowerment around Lake Toba - one of Indonesia’s super priority destinations