TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Garuda Indonesia plans Japan stopover en route to US
Change Size
A Garuda Indonesia airplane parks at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
N
ational flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is in negotiations with Japanese authorities to use the latter’s Narita International Airport as a transit hub for Jakarta-Los Angeles flights next year.
Garuda president director Muhammad Arif Wibowo said the flight route would be more profitable if Garuda could stop over in Japan.
"We have to go through some procedures to arrange the license by June next year at the earliest," Arif said on Monday.
The airliner’s two Boeing 777-300ER jets serve the route three times a week.
According to Arif, the potential market for the Indonesia-US route could reach over 400,000 passengers annually.
"Should the US economy get better next year, the demand will surely increase,” Arif said.
Currently, Garuda serves two routes to Los Angeles and Seattle through Haneda International Airport under a code-share agreement with Delta Airlines. Garuda also plans to reopen direct flights to the US following a recent upgrade in its status from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). (dmr)
