Aero Dili marks eight years of flying, launches new route

By Andrew Curran.

Aero Dili has notched up eight years of flying and marked the milestone by launching scheduled services to Darwin. Timor-Leste’s only airline was founded on June 21, 2018. Exactly eight years later, it operated the first of what will be twice-weekly flights between Dili (DIL) and Darwin (DRW).

“From our very first take-off to expanding our wings to international destinations like Darwin today, it has been an incredible journey,” the airline said in a social media post this week.

Aero Dili had a humble beginning in 2018, with a single Cessna 172P aircraft that it operated on behalf of the Timor-Leste Defence Force.

By the end of that year, however, the airline had acquired slightly larger Cessna 207s. and was operating commercial passenger flights around Timor-Leste.

But it took another five years for Aero Dili to secure its first jet, an A320-200 leased from DAE Capital, which it used to launch international flights, initially between Dili and Denpasar (DPS).

Aero Dili has since acquired a second jet, an A319-100 leased from Aircraft Finance Germany (AFG). More recently, Aero Dili founder and CEO Lourenço De Oliveira has floated the idea of sourcing a third jet.

Aero Dili has also expanded its network to include Singapore (SIN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Xiamen (XMN), Fuzhou (FOC) and, since last weekend, Darwin.

“This inaugural flight represents a proud and historic milestone for Aero Dili as we expand our international network and connect Timor-Leste directly with Australia for the first time,” said De Oliveira.

“The close geographic proximity, strong people-to-people connections and growing economic relationship make this an important route for both countries.”

Aero Dili makes some interesting route choices

Darwin is an interesting choice for a small airline that has made some unusual destination decisions. While the Dili – Darwin route is short, it is already served by two airlines, Qantas and Airnorth, making it the most competitive route in and out of Timor-Leste’s capital.

Even more interesting are the flights to Xiamen and Fuzhou, which are tied to the deepening economic and political relationship between Timor-Leste and China rather than market demand.

Chinese soft diplomacy is increasingly visible in Timor-Leste, manifesting through infrastructure projects, concessional loans and development assistance.

Aero Dili is a privately owned business, but De Oliveira has long-established ties to the Timor-Leste Government. The President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, was in Darwin to mark the inaugural flight.

“The first Aero Dili route from Dili to Darwin is more than a flight route,” said Ramos-Horta. “It is a bridge of friendship, commerce, education and people-to-people connection across the Timor Sea.”

A win for Darwin Airport

The operator of Darwin Airport, Airport Development Group, welcomed the new service.

Darwin’s difficulties attracting and retaining international flights have continued this year, with AirAsia recently ending its short-lived services to Kuala Lumpur and Denpasar, and China Southern scaling back its Guangzhou flights to just one service per week.

The Aero Dili service replaces some of that lost capacity.

“Timor-Leste is one of Australia’s closest neighbours and an increasingly important partner in our region,” said Airport Development Group CEO Tony Edmondstone.

“Darwin has a long history of fostering strong relationships across the Asia-Pacific, and today’s inaugural flight is another important step in strengthening those connections.”

De Oliveira also has long-standing plans to launch flights between Dili and Melbourne (MEL).

Photo: AI Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com