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ational flag carrier Garuda Indonesia aims to help the government promote the scenic views of Lake Toba to tourists around the world with the launch of a new route.

The company, in partnership with state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II, launched its new Jakarta-Silangit route on Wednesday, flying from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, to Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli, North Sumatra.

The airline will start operating the new route on March 22, providing flights three times a week on a Bombardier CRJ-1000 Next Gen '€œExplore Jet'€ aircraft, an all-economy class plane with a capacity of 96 passengers.

The aircraft is part of Garuda'€™s special fleet that serves routes to airports with runways to small for regular passenger jets.

Garuda president director Arif Wibowo said the cooperation was formed to support the government'€™s efforts to accelerate infrastructure development projects, including in and around Lake Toba as called for by President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo recently.

Arif said the new route was part of the company'€™s expansion and investment plans in support of local economic growth around Lake Toba as well as North Sumatra province overall.

He said that the new route would initially transit in Pinangsori in Sibolga, North Sumatra, and ticket fares would range from Rp 1 million (US$98.08) to Rp 1.3 million per seat.

'€œI am sure that in the next three to six months, there will gradually be more investment to develop the Silangit Airport runways to serve large-body aircraft,'€ he said in a press conference.

Meanwhile, Angkasa Pura II president director Budi Karya Sumadi said the airport operator would fully support Garuda'€™s efforts to attract more foreign and domestic tourists as there would now be easier and faster access to Lake Toba, the journey by air taking under an hour from Silangit Airport.

Silangit Airport, managed by Angkasa Pura II, will soon see a renovation and expansion project completed, allowing it to accommodate medium-bodied aircraft like the Airbus A320 Neo.

Earlier this month, Jokowi called on all stakeholders to help the government meet its target of making Lake Toba the '€œMonaco of Asia'€ and reviving the world'€™s largest volcanic lake to become one of the country'€™s 10 most popular tourist destinations.

The construction of new roads and tourist and entertainment facilities and the expansion of Silangit Airport are expected to boost tourism to Lake Toba, which has more than 400 km of shoreline, as the government aims for 1 million foreign and 15 million domestic tourists to visit the area by 2019.

Data from the Tourism Ministry revealed that 200,000 foreign and 11 million domestic tourists visited North Sumatra in 2014, contributing some $1.6 billion to the nation'€™s gross domestic product and $200 million in foreign exchange reserves.

The government has allocated Rp 21 trillion to developing Lake Toba'€™s infrastructure, with Rp 10 trillion being covered by the state budget and the rest by private-sector investment.

At the launch of the new route, Arif said Garuda would be continuing its five-year efficiency overhaul, enhancing its network strategy, crew rotation and IT systems.

The publicly listed company booked a net profit of $76.48 million last year, a 120.67 percent jump year-on-year (yoy) from the $370.05 million in losses recorded the previous year.