Here be dragons: Kuala Lumpur opens new path to Indonesia's Komodo

Budget carrier AirAsia is making it quicker for long-distance travellers to get a hair-raising close look at the world’s biggest lizard, the fearsome Komodo Dragon, by launching the first direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo.

The airline said the new route enhances accessibility to Labuan Bajo, which it described as "a gateway to the world-famous Komodo National Park and the picturesque island of Flores."

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s biggest city and commercial capital, is a hub for flights between Asia and Europe, with non-stop routes from Amsterdam and London and connections to dozens more cities via stopovers in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai and Istanbul. Kuala Lumpur in turn is a widely-used stopover for travellers between Australia and Europe.

Long the subject of wildlife documentaries and viral internet videos, Komodo dragons can reach a length of 3 metres and a weight of over 100 kilograms.

The lizards are are capable of taking down buffalo and have been filmed swallowing whole smaller prey such as young goats. With a drooling fang-filled mouth laden with bacteria and toxins, a dragon can kill an adult human with a bite.

The Indonesian government is promoting destinations such as Komodo, the island for which the dragons are named, as it seeks to increase visitor numbers and delivery tourists from the overcrowded and wildly popular Bali.

The government earlier this year announced a plan to dispense with holiday visa requirements for nationals of 20 countries. In April, Indonesian airline TransNusa added routes to Manado, a diving spot on the island of Sulawese, and from Manado to Ambon, the regional capital of former "Spice Islands."

Despite being only one of thousands of islands making up the 5,000-kilometer-wide Indonesia archipelago, Bali’s attracts up to half the country’s annual number of tourists. Local authorities on the island have introduced a tax in an effort to limit overtourism.