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Tag: garuda indonesia

  • Garuda Indonesia axes first class on London routes

    Garuda Indonesia axes first class on London routes

    Garuda Indonesia will no longer be offering first class seating to London from June 20 onwards as it looks to switch from a three-class to two-class Boeing B777-300ER.

    The configuration change for flights GA086/87 on the carrier’s Jakarta-Singapore-London Heathrow route will increase the overall number of seats from 314 to 393 at the expense of its first class cabin.

    While airlineroute.net reported the change on Friday, February 3, at the time of writing Garuda is still offering first class seats on the route on its website.

    Garuda currently operates the route three times weekly, with its Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday schedule not expected to change.

    Full details for the Jakarta (CGK)-Singapore (SIN)-London Heathrow (LHR) route are as follows:

    Flight No. From To Departs Arrives Days
    GA086 CGK SIN 0745 1035 Tue, Sat, Sun
    SIN LHR 1200 1855
    GA087 LHR SIN 2110 1730+1 Tue, Sat, Sun
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  • Garuda Indonesia Announces Change in Citilink Director Board

    Garuda Indonesia Announces Change in Citilink Director Board

    PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk (GIAA) changes the composition of board of directors of its subsidiary, PT Citilink Indonesia.

    The change in the composition of board of directors was made after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Citilink Albert Burhan submitted resignation at the end of December 2016.

    Albert resigned following the case of Citilink airline’s pilots who allegedly drunk when he was about to fly Surabaya-Jakarta plane on Wednesday (12/28/2016).

    In a public expose before the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), Thursday (2/2/2017), the company reported that resignation of Citilink’s CEO or President Director Albert Burhan and Operation Director Hadinoto Soedigno was approved by the company.

    The Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) of PT Citilink Indonesia approved the change in the composition of Citilink’s board of directors by January 30, 2017.

    Additionally, PT Citilink Indonesia’s current Director is Mega Satria.

    “General Meeting of Shareholders of Citilink Indonesia has approved the change in Citilink’s Board of Directors, which is effective as of January 30, 2017,” the public expose said.

  • Garuda Indonesia to operate Boeing B-737-800 to serve Sorong-Jakarta route

    Garuda Indonesia to operate Boeing B-737-800 to serve Sorong-Jakarta route

    Garuda Indonesia will operate Boeing 737-800 to serve Sorong-Jakarta route, in order to increase its service to the people in Papua.

    The state-owned airline company’s Sorong sales manager Radhitya Prastanika said here on Monday that the service is scheduled to begin early in April.

    He stated that Garuda Indonesia wished to support the government in opening an easier access to Raja Ampat tourist destination by operating the wide-body aircraft.

    “We are now waiting for an official letter from the security authorities of Sorongs Domine Eduard Osok airport regarding the safety of the airport for the landing of the aircraft,” he remarked.

    He noted that Boeing 737-800 has 162 seats, consisting of 150 seats in the economy and 12 seats in the business class.

    “Garuda Indonesia wishes to provide comfort to people in Sorong by providing a Boeing aircraft and adequate facilities,” he added.

    He said Garuda Indonesia plans to increase the number of planes and new routes to Papua and West Papua provinces this year.

  • President Jokowi announces Garuda Indonesia`s direct flight to Mumbai

    President Jokowi announces Garuda Indonesia`s direct flight to Mumbai

    National carrier Garuda Indonesia will operate a direct flight from Jakarta to Mumbai, India, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has announced.

    The announcement was made during a joint press conference by President Jokowi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House here on Monday.

    “I am pleased to announce that Garuda Indonesia, beginning today, will fly directly to Mumbai from Jakarta,” he said.

    The direct flight connecting the two metropolitan cities will help strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and support economic cooperation as well as people-to-people contact, the president said.

    Garudas maiden Jakarta-Mumbai flight on Monday was a Boeing 737-800 NG with a seating capacity of 156, comprising 12 business class seats and 144 economic class seats.

    The direct flight service is aimed at supporting the Indonesian governments objective of attracting more Indian tourists to Indonesia and strengthening the cultural and historical relations between the two nations.

    Around 270 thousand Indian tourists visited Indonesia last year, and 350 thousand this year, President Director of Garuda Indonesia M Arif Wibowo said in a statement.

    “As the number of Indian tourists continues to increase annually, we are sure that Mumbai is a prospective market for us,” Wibowo stated.

    Indian tourists now have better access to fly to Indonesian tourist destinations such as Bali, Yogyakarta, Surabaya (East Java), and Medan (North Sumatra), from Jakarta, he remarked.

    Garuda Indonesias Jakarta-Mumbai flight GA 862 via Bangkok will operate thrice a week. It will depart Jakarta at 5:55 am local time and arrive in Bangkok at 9:25 am local time. It will depart Bangkok at 10:20 am local time and land in Mumbai at 3 pm local time.

    The Mumbai-Jakarta flight GA 861 will also fly three times a week. It will depart from Mumbai at 5:35 pm local time, and arrive in Bangkok at 9:55 pm local time. It will depart Bangkok at 11:35 pm local time and arrive in Jakarta at 3:05 am local time.

    Garuda operates direct flights from Jakarta to various Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Bangkok), China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai), South Korea (Seoul), Japan (Tokyo, Osaka) and Saudi Arabia (Jidda and Madinah).

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  • Garuda Indonesia now flies from Surabaya to Medina

    Garuda Indonesia now flies from Surabaya to Medina

    Garuda Indonesia has opened a new route to connect Surabaya in East Java to Medina in Saudi Arabia in a bid to expand its flight network in the Middle East and tap into the potential umroh (minor haj) market.

    Introduced on Tuesday at Surabaya’s Juanda International Airport, the all economy class flight will be available once a week on Tuesday using Airbus A330-300 that can accommodate 360 passengers.

    “Hopefully we can provide ease and comfort to East Javanese residents and others who are traveling on a pilgrimage since this direct flight will help save time and money,” said Garuda Indonesia Cargo Director Sigit Muhartono in a press release.

    The national flag carrier currently operates two direct international routes from Surabaya, to Singapore and Jeddah.

    Following the opening of the Surabaya-Medina route, Garuda Indonesia now operates a total of 34 flights to the Middle East from major cities in Indonesia.

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  • Garuda opens Surabaya-Madinah flight route

    Garuda opens Surabaya-Madinah flight route

    Garuda Indonesia opened the Surabaya-Madina flight route on Tuesday as part of its efforts to expand its flight network in the Middle East.

    The national flag carrier will serve the flight route on Tuesdays using an Airbus A330-300 with a seating capacity of 360, all of them economic class, Garuda Cargo Director Sigit Muhartono said in a written statement released on Tuesday.

    “As the flag carrier of the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Garuda Indonesia will always try to facilitate Muslims wishing to perform religious services in the Holy Land. With the new flight route inaugurated today, we hope the people of East Java and surrounding areas will find it easy and comfortable to travel to the Saudi main cities of Jeddah and Madinah by direct flight,” he added.

    The Surabaya-Madinah flight route will accommodate not only people who want to travel to the Holy Land for umroh (minor hajj) but also businessmen, tourists and migrant Indonesian workers.

    “With the Surabaya-Madina flight route, Garuda Indonesia offers umroh pilgrims an alternative flight route that enables them to opt to depart from Surabaya to Madina and return to Surabaya from Jeddah,” he explained.

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  • Direct air link to Indonesia from Mumbai soon

    Direct air link to Indonesia from Mumbai soon

    A direct air link between India and Indonesia is set to become a reality with Garuda Indonesia, the South East Asian country’s national air carrier, considering to launch a service soon.

    Garuda Indonesia plans to introduce direct flights connecting Jakarta-Mumbai. In all likelihood, it should happen this December, Consul General of Indonesia Saut Siringoringo said here on Tuesday.

    He hoped the move would not only address the biggest challenge — absence of direct air connectivity — but eventually also provide a boost to bilateral trade, tourism and people to people ties. Tourism, he added, has considerable potential, particularly in pushing up the number of people from India visiting Indonesia.

    From 2,70,000 Indian tourists last year, which was a 13 per cent growth, the number would cross 3,50,000 this year. “I am very optimistic, this year it could even reach 4,00,000,” the Consul General said, pointing out visa free facility, for stay upto 30 days, was provided on arrival to Indian tourists. Mr. Siringoringo is from the Consulate in Mumbai that covers eight States, including all those in south India. His office, he added, issued around 7,000 working permits every year.

    Bilateral trade

    On the bilateral trade, he said it was around $16 billion and the need for Indonesia was to diversify it beyond the coal and palmoil. Pharmaceuticals and agriculture were two areas that could contribute to the diversification, he added.

    The Consulate, he said, was keen on showcasing Indonesia and strengthening ties with India through programmes. It recently organised a two-day ‘Expo Indonesia 2016’ in Mumbai featuring 37 Indonesian companies. Apart from showcasing a range of products, including furniture, paper, health-care products, food, the event served as a platform to explore business ties. The last time such an exhibition was conducted was in 2007, Mr. Siringoringo said.

    Stating that there is a lot of interest on both sides, he said 130 business delegates from India attended the ‘Trade Expo Indonesia 2016’ last month in Jakarta, an event that witnessed a transaction of $ 84 million.

    Apart from holding another exhibition next year, the Consulate is also getting ready for the visit of a Ramayana troupe comprising 100 dancers from Indonesia.

  • Garuda Indonesia books USD19.6 mil net income in Q3 2016

    Garuda Indonesia books USD19.6 mil net income in Q3 2016

    Garuda Indonesia, booked net income of USD 19.6 million or IDR 254.8 billion (exchange rate IDR 13,000 per USD) during the third quarter (July – September period) of 2016 as an outcome of the initial implementation of the ‘Sky Beyond’ strategy, with a focus on Return Maximization as well as the continuous proportional implementation of the financial efficiency policy.
    “This positive result was achieved through non-stop hard work in implementing the ‘Sky Beyond’ business expansion strategy, which played an essential role in promoting the company’s performance the quarter.

    Despite the highly competitive season in the aviation industry, including the global economic deceleration which affected the national economic situation, we are quite optimistic of maintaining the positive growth of the company up to the end of this year,” stated M. Arif Wibowo, President & CEO of Garuda Indonesia, on Monday (31/10) at the media conference after the regular analyst meeting, in Garuda Indonesia’s headquarters in Jakarta.

    Arif explained that since the beginning of year 2015, Garuda Indonesia had been constantly implementing the proportional financial efficiency program. The predicted loss in the first semester of 2016 was projected to turn around in the next quarter by improving the whole performance during the peak season. The continuous financial efficiency program and the performance improvement in other aspects such as operational, services and commercial, are believed to have strengthened the company to achieve positive growth until 2020.

    Arif, accompanied by the entire Board of Directors of Garuda Indonesia and the president directors of the subsidiaries, also explained that the company had succeeded in increasing total revenue from USD 2.845 billion in 2015 (January – September) to USD 2.865 billion during the same period of 2016. Up to the third quarter of 2016, Garuda Indonesia Group (including Citilink) carried 26,043,138 passengers, which was an increase of 6.1 percent from the 24,551,594 passengers carried in the same period in 2015.

    From the total amount, Garuda Indonesia carried 17.81 million passengers (comprising 14.55 million domestic passengers and 3.26 million international passengers). Meanwhile, its subsidiary, Citilink Indonesia, transported 8.23 million passengers between January – September 2016, which was an increase of nearly 20 percent from the 6.86 million passengers carried over the same period in 2015.

    Garuda Indonesia and Citilink’s flight frequency in the domestic and international sectors during the January – September period rose to 204,182 flights, with an increase of 9.7 percent from the same period in 2015 with 186,052 flights. In addition, Availability Seat Kilometer/ASK increased by 13.3 percent to 43.91 billion from 38.75 billion ASK in the same period of 2015.

    Despite the challenging situation in operational aspects such as the domestic flights operations at the new Terminal 3 Soekarno-Hatta in early August, and the force majeur by unpredictable weather, Garuda Indonesia also suceeded in increasing its on time performance / OTP to 90.1 percent in the January – September period, from 88.2 percent in same period last year. The seat load factor / SLF of the period was 73.4 percent, with an aircraft utilization amount of 09:12 hours.

    In line with the continuous network expansion plan, in the third quarter of 2016, Garuda Indonesia started to serve new destinations in east Indonesia, namely Nabire, which was served directly from Biak, Papua, and Maumere, which served directly from Denpasar, Bali. The opening of these new routes was a strategic step to improve the connectivity between cities in Indonesia, as well as to strengthen its network in the domestic market.

    Concerning the highly competitive situation in the aviation industry – mainly in the Asia Pacific region – which influenced both domestic and international networks, Garuda Indonesia’s market share for domestic reached 41.2 percent, and 26.7 percent for international market share.

    “We still have time to maximize the power and potency of our strategy, particularly in facing this coming end of year peak season period. We believe that we can reach the continuous positive growth in the coming years, including our strategic plan for international network expansion in the near future,” Arif added.
  • Garuda Indonesia Posts Strong Net Income Growth in Q3

    Garuda Indonesia Posts Strong Net Income Growth in Q3

    Indonesia’s flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, posted net income of US$19.6 million during the third quarter of this year as an outcome of the initial implementation of the ‘Sky Beyond’ strategy, with a focus on Return Maximization as well as the continuous proportional implementation of the financial efficiency policy.

    “This positive result was achieved through non-stop hard work in implementing the ‘Sky Beyond’ business expansion strategy, which played an essential role in promoting the company’s performance the quarter,” said M. Arif Wibowo, President & CEO of Garuda Indonesia, at the media conference after the regular analyst meeting, in Garuda Indonesia’s headquarters in Jakarta.

    He added that despite the highly competitive season in the aviation industry, including the global economic deceleration which affected the national economic situation, Garuda is quite optimistic of maintaining the positive growth of the company up to the end of this year.

    Arif explained that since the beginning of year 2015, Garuda Indonesia had been constantly implementing the proportional financial efficiency program. The predicted loss in the first semester of 2016 was projected to turn around in the next quarter by improving the whole performance during the peak season.

    The continuous financial efficiency program and the performance improvement in other aspects such as operational, services and commercial, are believed to have strengthened the company to achieve positive growth until 2020.

    Arif, accompanied by the entire Board of Directors of Garuda Indonesia and the president directors of the subsidiaries, also explained that the company had succeeded in increasing total revenue from US$2.845 billion in Q3 2015 to US$2.865 billion during the same period of 2016.

    Up to the third quarter of 2016, Garuda Indonesia Group (including Citilink) carried 26,043,138 passengers, which was an increase of 6.1 percent from the 24,551,594 passengers carried in the same period in 2015.
    From the total amount, Garuda Indonesia carried 17.81 million passengers (comprising 14.55 million domestic passengers and 3.26 million international passengers). Meanwhile, its subsidiary, Citilink Indonesia, transported 8.23 million passengers between January – September 2016, which was an increase of nearly 20 percent from the 6.86 million passengers carried over the same period in 2015.

    As a result of the cargo-focused strategy that commenced in early 2016 to strengthen the company’s cargo business in addition to passenger business, mainly by a new Director of Cargo who had only been serving for less than six months (a new tenure on the Board of Directors since April 2016), the amount of cargo transported in January – September period was 295,217 tons, or an increase of 14.7 percent from the same period in 2015 of 257,304 tons.

    Garuda Indonesia and Citilink’s flight frequency in the domestic and international sectors during the January – September period rose to 204,182 flights, with an increase of 9.7 percent from the same period in 2015 with 186,052 flights. In addition, Availability Seat Kilometer/ASK increased by 13.3 percent to 43.91 billion from 38.75 billion ASK in the same period of 2015.

    Despite the challenging situation in operational aspects such as the domestic flights operations at the new Terminal 3 Soekarno-Hatta in early August, and the force majeur by unpredictable weather, Garuda Indonesia also suceeded in increasing its on time performance / OTP to 90.1 percent in the January – September period, from 88.2 percent in same period last year. The seat load factor / SLF of the period was 73.4 percent, with an aircraft utilization amount of 09:12 hours.

    In line with the continuous network expansion plan, in the third quarter of 2016, Garuda Indonesia started to serve new destinations in east Indonesia, namely Nabire, which was served directly from Biak, Papua, and Maumere, which served directly from Denpasar, Bali. The opening of these new routes was a strategic step to improve the connectivity between cities in Indonesia, as well as to strengthen its network in the domestic market.

    Concerning the highly competitive situation in the aviation industry – mainly in the Asia Pacific region – which influenced both domestic and international networks, Garuda Indonesia’s market share for domestic reached 41.2 percent, and 26.7 percent for international market share.

    “We still have time to maximize the power and potency of our strategy, particularly in facing this coming end of year peak season period. We believe that we can reach the continuous positive growth in the coming years, including our strategic plan for international network expansion in the near future,” Arif added.

    Garuda Indonesia Group operates a total of 194 aircraft, consisting of ten (10) Boeing 777-300ER, twenty-five (25) Airbus A330-200/300, two (2) Boeing 747-400, seventy-six (76) Boeing 737-800NG, eighteen (18) Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen, and fifteen (15) ATR72-600, with a 146 aircraft operated by Garuda Indonesia, and forty (40) Airbus A320 and eight (8) Boeing 737-300/500, or 48 aircraft operated by Citilink, with an average aircraft age of 4.6 years.

  • Garuda Indonesia plans to connect Mumbai with Jakarta

    Garuda Indonesia plans to connect Mumbai with Jakarta

    Garuda Indonesia plans to expand its service to India at the end of this year by opening a new route from Mumbai to Jakarta.

    Garuda Indonesia’s vice president of corporate communications Benny S. Butarbutar told that the airline had received support from the Transportation Ministry and the new service would use Airbus 330 and Boeing 777 aircraft. “We are currently planning the route, and considering factors like is it going to be a direct flight or will there be a transit, will it be a daily service or several flights per week,” said Benny in Jakarta on Wednesday.

    The potential of tourist arrivals from India to Indonesia was quite significant, said Benny. “This is a growing market that we should tap into in order to attract more visitors.”

    Indian tourists visiting Indonesia in 2014 amounted to 223,607 people, an upsurge from the previous year’s figure of 201,009, according to the Central Statistics Agency.

  • Garuda Indonesia Bans Samsung Galaxy 7 Note From All Flights

    Garuda Indonesia Bans Samsung Galaxy 7 Note From All Flights

    Garuda Indonesia has issued a ban on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 for all its flights starting from Monday due to safety issues.

    This move ensues the recent ban by US Department of Transportation on the device, including its recalled and replaced units, after reports of the smartphone catching fire.

    Garuda Indonesia VP corporate communications Benny S. Butarbutar said in a press release Monday that passengers in possession of a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would not be permitted to board the aircraft. Bringing the device through carry on baggage, checked-in luggage, or cargo was also strictly prohibited.

    This is the second ban issued by the airline regarding Samsung Galaxy Note 7. In early September, it banned the use of the device during flights as well as warned passengers not to charge the battery or store the smartphone in checked baggage.

    Samsung has already been forced to recall more than 2.5 million devices due to faulty batteries. The company has instructed users to “power down and stop using the device”, and announced the permanent end of its production last week.

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  • Garuda Indonesia and Angkasa Pura II Sign Agreement for Air Cargo Business

    Garuda Indonesia and Angkasa Pura II Sign Agreement for Air Cargo Business

    Air carrier Garuda Indonesia signed an agreement with state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II at the Soekarno-Hatta airport on Thursday (13/10) to support the creation of a commercial cargo area.

    Both companies agreed to develop AP II’s commercial area in the airport’s cargo warehouse as Garuda Indonesia’s cargo operational service area. According to Garuda’s official statement, there will be revenue sharing between Garuda and AP II from the air cargo business.

    Garuda Indonesia was represented by cargo director Sigit Muhartono, while commercial and business development director Daan Achmad signed on behalf of AP II.

    “In line with Garuda’s target to obtain $269 million of cargo profit share in 2016, the utilization of this facility will significantly support the company’s cargo business,” Sigit said.

    He added he is optimistic in developing the business, particularly as the deal will span 23,000 meters squared.

    Daan shared Sigit’s optimism, saying the cooperation will “give a positive contribution to improving Indonesia’s cargo industry, given that Soekarno-Hatta is one of the largest bases for air cargo business in Indonesia.”

    Currently Garuda Indonesia has 70 Cargo Service Centers (CSC) all over Indonesia. Of all service centers, 46 CSCs are located in airports and 24 are in city centers. Garuda Indonesia Cargo provides shipping from City to Door and City to Port where CSCs serve as Drop and Pick-up Points.

    Garuda hopes to expand its cargo business to remote corners of Indonesia to support the rapid growth of domestic and international cargo shipping.

  • Garuda Indonesia expects US$25 million from intl cargo

    Garuda Indonesia expects US$25 million from intl cargo

    The Indonesian flight carrier, Garuda Indonesia, is expecting US$25 million from international cargo service by the end of 2016.

    “Currently, the average income from cargo per month is US$21 million. Business cargo, mainly catering to the international market, will continue to support the company’s revenue stream,” President Director of Garuda, Arif Wibowo, said here on Tuesday.

    According to him, one of the strategies developed by the company to increase the cargo capacity is to open international flights.

    “We should explore international markets and also enlarge our cargo capacity on overseas flights,” he added.

    He pointed out that the largest component of cargo business of Garuda currently comes from China, covering Canton and Shanghai, reaching about 20 tons per day.

    Meanwhile, the cargo capacity from Tokyo and South Korea is about 20 tons per day, and from Europe is around 14-15 tons per day.

    To capture the growth opportunity in the cargo business, in particular in the international market, Garuda is opening new routes and adding frequencies of domestic flights to a number of foreign countries.

    For instance, he stated, the Jakarta-Madina flight will be available in December 2016. Also, the Surabaya-Madina route will be opened.

    To support its flight expansion plans, Garuda provides 50 units of Boeing737 MAX, while its subsidiary, Citilink, provides 50 units of Airbus A320.

    Regarding the business expansion to China, Garuda will soon open an international flight on the Denpasar-Chengdu route in January.

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  • Garuda Indonesia opens new flight route in E. Nusa Tenggara

    Garuda Indonesia opens new flight route in E. Nusa Tenggara

    The national airline Garuda Indonesia launched a new flight route here to expand connectivity in East Indonesia, said Director of Garuda Indonesia Cargo Sigit Murhartono on Thursday.

    “The two new routes are Maumere-Denpasar, round trip, and direct flights on Kupang-Jakarta, round trip,” he said in a press statement in Kupang.

    The inauguration of the new flight path for Garuda Indonesia was conducted at the Frans Seda Airport in Maumere, Sikka District, and was attended by Sikka Regent Yoseph Ansar Rera.

    Murhartono said the new flight service to and from the NTT is part of the expansion of the flight network, which continues to be conducted by Garuda Indonesia.

    In addition, the opening of the new route is part of the continued commitment of the state-owned airline to support the programs of the Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration.

    “We have a commitment to always support government programs to improve connectivity between the island and the city, especially in developing the tourism industry to realize the target of 272 million tourists visiting Indonesia and to make NTT Province a new tourist destination,” he noted.

    He also expected the opening of the new routes would allow Garuda to increase the flow of tourists and businesspeople between Kupang City, as the capital of the province, and Maumere, which has many tourist spots.

    Murhartono explained that the Maumere-Denpasar route will be served by Garuda Indonesia four times a week — Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday — with scheduled flights from Maumere departing at 10.55 a.m. and arriving in Denpasar at 00.55 p.m.

    Meanwhile, the Denpasar-Maumere trip will depart at 7 a.m. and will arrive in Maumere at 9 a.m. The Maumere-Denpasar round trip flight route will be served by an ATR 71-600 aircraft with a passenger capacity of 70 economy seats.

    The Kupang-Jakarta round trip flight will be served by a Bombardier CRJ 1000 NextGen aircraft, which is touted as being reliable and environmentally friendly with cost-efficient operations.

    “For the daily Kupang-Jakarta, round trip, service departure from Jakarta will be at 5 a.m., arriving in Kupang at 8.55 a.m. and then returning from Kupang at 6.55 p.m. and arriving in Jakarta at 8.10 p.m.,” he stated.

    With the opening of the new routes, Garuda Indonesia will serve up to 39 flights to and from NTT Province every week.

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  • Garuda Indonesia Raking It In During Idul Fitri Holiday

    Garuda Indonesia Raking It In During Idul Fitri Holiday

    Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia filled more seats on its domestic flights during the Lebaran exodus this year, as more people chose air travel to return to their hometown for Idul Fitri.

    The state-controlled airline’s average load factor — which indicates how much an airline makes use of its seat capacity — went up to 74 percent from June 24 to July 5, a day before Idul Fitri, on all of its domestic routes, Benny S. Butarbutar, Garuda Indonesia’s vice president of corporate communication, said on Saturday (09/07).

    Benny did not give a figure for last year’s Idul Fitri holiday.

    Still, the latest figure could mark a turnaround for Garuda. The full-service airline had seen its load factor dip to 69 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to 74 percent in the same period last year, as weak economic growth forced cost-conscious travelers to opt out of the airline’s services.

    Garuda added 32,000 more seats on 132 extra flights, 112 of which are on international routes, between June 24 to July 17 to cater for Indonesians during the annual Lebaran exodus, Benny said.

    “This represents a 35 percent increase in our extra capacity from the same period last year,” Benny said.

    The National Police estimated 17.6 million people made the travel back to their hometown during the Lebaran exodus this year. Ouf of that figure, 4.6 million chose air travel, up 7.6 percent from a year ago as people’s purchasing power has increased and local airlines offer new fleets and routes.

    Air travelers met with relatively few problems during this year’s Lebaran exodus compared to their peers taking land routes, who were met by hellish traffic jams on toll roads across Java.