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Garuda postpones US route plans amid Japanese rejection
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A Garuda Indonesia Boeing B737-800 on the taxiway of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. (The Jakarta Post/Bagus BT. Saragih)
N
ational flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has to postpone its plan to fly to the United States after the Japanese government refused to grant the airline fifth freedom traffic rights, which are needed to carry passengers between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and the US.
In addition, Garuda has not yet completed the administrative requirements demanded by the US Department of Transportation.
"The Japanese government is less than supportive to the Indonesian airline to fly and take passengers from Tokyo [to the US]," Garuda Indonesia president director Pahala N. Mansury said on Tuesday.
The airline is considering Narita International Airport as the transit point for its route to the US.
"We are still waiting for the permit from the US Department of Transportation. The second [step] is to find a transit city," Pahala added.
Garuda Indonesia has been eyeing an expansion of its route network to the US, possibly Los Angeles, after a decision by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to upgrade Indonesia’s position to its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating. (bbn)
