DILI, 11 February 2025 (TATOLI) – Aero Dili, the flag carrier airline of Timor-Leste is set to inaugurate a direct flight route Dili, Timor-Leste to Xiamen, China, starting 14 February.
The move was expected to enhance connectivity between Timor-Leste and China, potentially benefiting both business and leisure travelers.
The Government of Timor-Leste sees this initiative as a strategic effort to improve business and investment prospects for both Timor-Leste and China.
The Minister of Transport and Communications, Miguel Manetelu, said that the Dili-Xiamen direct flight could help increase Chinese investment in Timor-Leste, adding that the direct flight could also encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the country.
This new Aero Dili route will also strengthen bilateral relations between Timor-Leste and China.
On July 29, 2024, Timor-Leste and China signed the Air Services Agreement (ASA), in Beijing.
The signing of the agreement laid a legal foundation for building bilateral ties in civil aviation, facilitating the launching of air routes and flights by airlines, and promoting business cooperation between China and Timor-Leste, which will be conducive to the economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges of the two countries.
So far, Timor-Leste has signed inter-governmental air service agreements with several ASEAN countries—including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Cambodia—as well as with Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Qatar, and others.
Manetelu said that Timor-Leste also plans to sign Air Service Agreements with Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines, adding that these agreements will facilitate the expansion of foreign airlines’ flight services to Timor-Leste.
TATOLI
