Indonesia AirAsia is reshaping how travelers move around eastern Indonesia with the launch of new flights linking Kendari and Makassar from March 7, 2026. For anyone planning island-hopping adventures, business trips across Sulawesi, or smooth connections to bigger hubs and international routes, this new link between Kendari and Makassar is set to make travel faster, simpler, and more budget friendly.
A New Bridge Across Sulawesi: What the Route Offers
The new Kendari–Makassar service, operated by Indonesia AirAsia, will run twice daily using Airbus A320 aircraft. With a morning and evening pattern built into the wider Makassar expansion, travelers gain more flexibility to choose a departure that matches their schedule, whether they are heading out for a same-day meeting or connecting onward to another island.
Before this announcement, travelers moving between the two cities often had to juggle limited flight options, deal with irregular schedules, or shift plans around peak demand periods. By locking in two daily frequencies, Indonesia AirAsia is signaling that Kendari–Makassar is not a fringe route but a core connector that will be present on the timetable every day and throughout the week.
For leisure travelers, this means less time refreshing booking apps hoping for a seat to open up and more confidence that suitable flight times will be available throughout the year. For residents who regularly commute between Sulawesi Tenggara and Sulawesi Selatan for work, study, or family visits, the route offers a more predictable rhythm of travel that can be built into monthly routines.
The use of A320 jets also matters. A consistent narrowbody aircraft with a familiar cabin layout gives travelers clear expectations on baggage space, in-flight comfort, and reliability. It also allows the airline to scale capacity in step with demand without frequently changing aircraft types, which can disrupt schedules.
Makassar as a Virtual Hub: Why It Matters for Your Itinerary
The Kendari–Makassar route is not a stand-alone link. It is part of Indonesia AirAsia’s broader plan to turn Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport into a “virtual hub,” a concept that relies on smart scheduling and through-ticketing rather than classic banked hub waves. In practice, this means passengers can connect between multiple domestic and international destinations via Makassar with tighter connection windows and more coordinated timings.
Alongside Kendari, Indonesia AirAsia is launching new services from Makassar to Palu and Luwuk, as well as increasing connectivity to Surabaya. These routes are scheduled to start on the same day, March 7, 2026. For travelers from Kendari, Makassar becomes a central springboard: a short flight first, followed by coordinated onward connections elsewhere in Sulawesi, to Java, or across Southeast Asia.
Makassar is already plugged into AirAsia’s international network through the Makassar–Kuala Lumpur route. Once the Kendari flights start, travelers from Kendari will, for the first time with Indonesia AirAsia, be able to book trips that move seamlessly from Kendari to Makassar and onward to Kuala Lumpur in a single journey. From there, the wider AirAsia network opens up regional access to destinations around Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and beyond.
For itineraries that once required backtracking via Jakarta or Denpasar, this hub model in Makassar shortens the map. A trip that previously involved two or even three separate tickets, long layovers, or overnight stays can now often be achieved using one logical east–west transit through Makassar with coordinated timings.
Smoother Connections and Less Travel Stress
The key advantage of the Kendari–Makassar flights for travelers is not only the direct link itself, but how it simplifies multi-city journeys. Business travelers can now schedule morning departures from Kendari, arrive in Makassar with time to connect to Surabaya or other cities the same day, and return without needing complex stopovers.
For domestic tourists, it becomes easier to stitch together loop itineraries. A traveler might fly into Makassar, explore South Sulawesi, then head to Kendari to dive, snorkel, or visit islands off the Sulawesi Tenggara coast, and finally connect back through Makassar to return home. The planning process becomes more linear, with fewer disjointed sectors and a lower risk of missed legs due to poorly matched schedules.
The twice daily frequency is particularly useful for handling disruptions. When only one daily flight exists, a delay or cancellation can derail an entire itinerary. With more than one daily option, travelers have an alternative on the same day, reducing the chance that a single operational issue will force an unplanned overnight stay. For families and group travelers, that redundancy provides welcome reassurance.
Indonesia AirAsia’s low cost structure also supports flexible short breaks. With more seats and frequencies in the market, fares are likely to be more competitive than on thin routes with only one operator and sparse schedules. That can make spontaneous trips such as long weekend getaways or last minute family visits more accessible to a wider range of travelers.
Unlocking Kendari: Easier Access to Southeast Sulawesi
Kendari serves as one of the primary gateways to the marine and nature tourism of Southeast Sulawesi. The province is known for its coral reefs, island clusters, and relatively less crowded dive spots compared with some of Indonesia’s more famous hotspots. Until now, the journey to reach these destinations often required multiple legs and long layovers, especially for those coming from central and western Indonesia.
With the Kendari–Makassar connection integrated into a hub structure, travelers will find it easier to combine Kendari with other destinations in a single trip. Visitors can fly into Makassar, enjoy urban and coastal experiences in South Sulawesi, then continue on to Kendari to access surrounding islands and coastal villages without having to route back through Jakarta.
For international visitors, especially those arriving via Kuala Lumpur or other AirAsia gateways, this shortened access chain can be decisive. A tight, two-step journey from an international hub to a secondary city makes it practical to explore less familiar regions that previously felt too remote. This can gradually shift tourism patterns away from just a few flagship islands and encourage more even distribution of visitor traffic across the archipelago.
Local tourism operators around Kendari stand to benefit as well. More predictable air links and better connectivity make it easier to package multi-day tours, fix departure dates, and coordinate with hotels, dive centers, and transport providers. Over time, that consistency can help raise service standards and diversify products, from eco-tours and homestays to higher end boutique resorts.
Makassar’s Growing Role in Eastern Indonesia Travel
Makassar has long been recognized as a major trading and transport gateway for eastern Indonesia. The decision by Indonesia AirAsia to deepen its presence there reinforces that status, but with a clear traveler-centric angle. Instead of being seen primarily as a cargo and business hub, Makassar is increasingly positioned as a convenient transit and stopover city for leisure travelers.
Recent tourism and mobility data have shown steady recovery in Sulawesi Selatan, with domestic travel providing the backbone of that rebound. As more flights are added to and through Makassar, the city becomes an attractive base for short urban stays. Travelers passing through on their way to Kendari can spend a night or two in the city, sampling local seafood, exploring the waterfront, or visiting nearby islands like those in the Spermonde archipelago.
In practical terms, the expanded Makassar network also means more choice in departure and arrival times for those living in the city itself. Residents heading to Kendari for business, government duties, or family visits will have wider options to align flights with work hours or public events. The same goes for students and professionals commuting between universities, offices, and project sites scattered around Sulawesi.
As airlines fine tune their schedules, Makassar is likely to see further optimization of connection windows. That will help reduce overall travel times not only between Kendari and Makassar, but also on journeys that use Makassar as a bridge between Sulawesi and other islands such as Java or Bali.
Integrated Domestic and International Networks
The Kendari–Makassar route arrives at a moment when Indonesia AirAsia is expanding both its domestic and international portfolios. New international services from Denpasar to Melbourne and Da Nang are planned for March 2026, while the airline is also boosting connections to cities in Australia and Southeast Asia. These moves complement the Makassar-centered domestic expansion.
For travelers, the convergence of these plans means easier transitions between domestic trips in eastern Indonesia and international journeys farther afield. A traveler starting in Kendari might connect through Makassar and then on to Kuala Lumpur, and from there reach destinations such as Bangkok or Hanoi. Alternatively, visitors from Australia could land in Bali, connect to Makassar, and then continue to Kendari, creating cross-regional itineraries that span reefs, highlands, and cities.
This layering of domestic and international networks also benefits Indonesian travelers from smaller cities. They gain more options to reach global destinations without always having to pass through the traditional mega-hubs of Jakarta or Singapore. That decentralization of connectivity can lighten pressure on congested airports while giving travelers more routing choices that fit their schedules and budgets.
From an operational standpoint, the presence of a structured network encourages more stable timetables and better coordination with ground services. Check in, baggage handling, and transfer processes can be streamlined when airlines design their operations on a hub model. Over time, this should translate into smoother experiences for travelers, particularly those making same day connections between Kendari, Makassar, and onward flights.
What Travelers Should Expect After March 7, 2026
With the official start date for the Kendari–Makassar flights set for March 7, 2026, travelers planning trips later in the year can begin to factor the new service into their itineraries. As the launch date approaches, detailed schedules and fare structures will be reflected in booking platforms and travel agency systems, allowing passengers to compare timings and prices across carriers and routes.
Initially, demand is likely to be strongest from residents of Kendari, Makassar, Palu, Luwuk, and Surabaya who already travel frequently for work, trade, and family reasons. As awareness grows, more domestic tourists may begin to use the route to build multi-destination trips that combine city stays with nature and marine tourism in Sulawesi.
Travelers should expect the new flights to integrate with other Indonesia AirAsia services through Makassar, particularly to Surabaya and Kuala Lumpur. This means that, on many days, it will be possible to leave Kendari in the morning, transit briefly in Makassar, and arrive in Java or Malaysia by afternoon or evening, depending on final timetables.
For those planning further ahead, the route’s inclusion in a broader eastern Indonesia strategy suggests that these flights are not a temporary experiment but part of a longer term network redesign. That stability gives both frequent travelers and occasional holidaymakers more confidence to book future trips built around Makassar as a key stopping point.
How the New Route Can Change Your Travel Habits
Over time, the Kendari–Makassar flights may quietly change how people think about distances within Indonesia. Routes that once felt long and fragmented can become as simple as booking a morning departure and an afternoon arrival with a single transit. Families might find it easier to visit relatives across provinces more frequently, while small businesses can plan quicker face to face meetings without sacrificing multiple days for each journey.
For travel planners and tour operators, the new connectivity invites fresh itinerary design. Packages that once focused solely on Bali or Java can begin to highlight eastern destinations such as Kendari alongside Makassar, Palu, and Luwuk, presenting them as accessible extensions rather than remote add ons. That reframing could encourage more visitors to explore lesser known parts of Sulawesi.
Ultimately, the new Kendari–Makassar flights are about giving travelers more control. More flight options, better connection possibilities, and improved integration with domestic and international routes reduce friction at every stage of the journey. For anyone mapping out travel in or through eastern Indonesia from March 2026 onwards, this new link belongs at the center of their planning.
Whether you are a frequent flyer commuting between Sulawesi’s cities, an international visitor looking beyond the country’s classic hotspots, or a first time traveler weaving together a multi stop Indonesian adventure, Indonesia AirAsia’s Kendari–Makassar route promises to make your plans simpler, your travel days shorter, and your options wider.