The little airline that could. East Timor's Aero Dili (8G - Aero Dili Transport Service SA), having only launched direct services between Dili and Bali Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) on May 13th, now looks to expand its network by reaching Singapore and Surabaya (Indonesia) momentarily. The airline currently operates a daily service between Dili and Denpasar, and it is unclear if this service will be adjusted to accommodate its new destinations.

According to the airline's Instagram, Surabaya will be connected weekly, with a service pushing back from Dili at 07:10 and touching down in Surabaya by 07:20 (flight time of two hours and 10 minutes). The return flight will depart at 08:00 before landing in Dili at 12:05 local time the same day. Singapore, the airline's other new destination, will be connected thrice weekly. However, further details are yet to be released.

Source: GCMap

Connecting East Timor and Beyond

Established in 2017, the airline received its Air Operators Certificate in 2018 and already served a range of domestic services within East Timor (Timor Leste). However, its recent acquisition of an Airbus A320 has catapulted the airline into an international carrier, with its aspirations, following its slogan, to 'Build the Nation.' The airline received its A320 in March, and after several proofing flights and crew training, launched its first international service to Bali in May.

As reported earlier by Simple Flying, the first flight to Bali had only reached 36 passengers, and the current loadings or profitability on the routes are unclear. It would be hoped that the new services to Surabaya and Singapore bear fruit for the Asian carrier.

Conflicting information on the airline's website

It appears the information on the carrier's Instagram differs from that on the airline's website, identifying that the carrier will only serve Singapore on Mondays, with a departure at 17:45 from Dili, and a return from Singapore in the early hours of the morning on Tuesdays at 01:15, this differs from the carriers social media, which notes it will be served three times a week.

Surabaya also looks a bit different, with the airlines website noting a Friday and Sunday departure, leaving Dili at 12:20 and returning at 13:10. Two other destinations are also listed, its current Bali route, alongside a once weekly, Wednesday operation between Dili and Manila, leaving Dili at 17:45, with a return journey leaving Manila at 01:15. Simple Flying has attempted to reach the airline multiple times via email, however, are yet to receive a response by the time of publishing.

Photo: AeroDili

Aero Dili also has further aspirations to expand its network, with the airline stating it will launch additional routes between East Timor and Australia, Malaysia, China, and Cambodia from August this year. Looking into a crystal ball, it would be expected to see the operations to Australia to connect Dili and Darwin, where there continues to be strong demand, with Air North and QantasLink already operating multiple weekly services. However, the question remains how all these destinations could be facilitated with just one Airbus A320. Fingers crossed for the airline that their expansion plans can be a success.