Timor-Leste is experiencing the “tragedy” of being “completely hostage to Australian and Indonesian area companies operating” gangster behaviour, “keeping prices disproportionately high”, Jose Ramos-Horta said.
Ramos-Horta Calls Out Airline Monopolies
“We have this country completely hostage to Garuda’s air gangsterism,” said the former President of the Republic, referring to the Indonesian state-owned company, which owns the Sriwijaya and Citilink brands that fly to Timor-Leste.
“And we remain AirNorth hostages, which is a stealth robbery,” he said, referring to the Qantas subsidiary that maintains a monopoly on flights between Timor-Leste and Australia — one of the world’s most expensive routes per kilometre.
Ramos-Horta was speaking in Dili at the official launch of the country’s first hotel association, HOTL, created by ten hotel units located predominantly in the capital.
Shrinking International Connections
The issue of air travel prices is one of the biggest obstacles to tourism in Timor-Leste, compounded by infrastructure challenges. As of April 1, the country became even more isolated with the end of flights between Dili and Singapore — one of only three international connections at the time, alongside:
- Bali, Indonesia — served by the Garuda group (Citilink and Sriwijaya brands)
- Darwin, Australia — served by AirNorth (Qantas), holding a monopoly since 1999
Flight Price Comparison
The price disparity is stark when compared to similar-distance routes in the region:
| Route | Distance (each way) | Round-trip Price |
|---|---|---|
| Dili → Darwin | 722 km | ~USD 600 |
| Darwin → Singapore | 3,350 km | ~USD 300 |
| Dili → Denpasar (Bali) | 1,140 km | ~USD 590 |
| Kupang → Surabaya | 1,236 km | ~USD 150 |
The price per kilometre per seat on the Dili–Bali route is 26 cents, compared to just 6 cents on the Kupang–Surabaya route — more than four times higher. In the six months prior to the speech, prices on the Indonesia routes more than tripled.
Tourism Budget Fails to Match Government Rhetoric
Ramos-Horta used the occasion to challenge the Government directly, noting that “the leadership talks a lot about tourism, as an alternative to oil and gas,” but those statements “are not reflected in the budget.”
“I know that people in the Ministry of Tourism have struggled for years to have a decent budget that barely reaches the operating costs of the ministry itself,” he said.
Recognising Early Investors
The former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner also referenced a recent meeting with Foreign Minister Dionisio Babo on promoting investment in Timor-Leste, calling on the Government to better recognise those who took early risks.
“I told him that we should start to embrace, to praise the investors who are already here in this country, who came when nobody wanted to come, who took risks, invested,” he said.