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rivate airline TransNusa has opened a new route connecting Semarang and Cilacap, both in Central Java, in an effort to expand its market share in Central Java.

TransNusa president director Bayu Sutanto said Semarang-Cilacap flights would operate every Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

“We will use the ATR72 aircraft for this route, with the fare ranging from Rp 300,000 [US$21.50] to Rp 900,000. The aircraft has 50 seats. Once demand increases, we will increase it to 72 seats. The flight takes only 40 minutes,” said Bayu on Monday.

Managed by the Transportation Ministry’s Civil Aviation Directorate General, Tunggul Wulung Airport in Cilacap has a 1,400-meter runway that is 30 m in width.

Bayu said the TransNusa flight would depart from Cilacap for Semarang at 8:55 a.m. local time.

Government officials and businesspeople in the two cities are expected to comprise the main users of the new route.

“There are several oil and gas companies, steam-powered plants, cement maker Holcim, fishery-based businesses and many more [based] in Cilacap. We hope the new route will always be fully booked,” Bayu said.

Cilacap Regent Tatto Suwarto Pamuji said demand for travel services to Cilacap was quite high.

“By air, travel time will get shorter. It takes eight hours to travel from Cilacap to Semarang by land, while it takes only 40 minutes by air. It takes eight to 12 hours to Jakarta by land and only 45 minutes by air,” he said.

A number of flights are currently serving the Semarang-Cilacap route, including those covered by light aircraft operator Susi Air and Wings Air, which is a subsidiary of Indonesia’s largest private airline, Lion Air Group.