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Citilink mulls plan to open routes to Singapore, Germany next year
Citilink Indonesia is mulling a plan to offer more international flights next year to strengthen its international network, including a route to Frankfurt, Germany.
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Citilink Indonesia's planes stand at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali. (Antara/Nyoman Budhiana)
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ow-cost carrier Citilink Indonesia is mulling a plan to offer more international flights next year after recently adding routes to Perth in Australia and Kuala Lumpur, as the airline strives to strengthen its international network.
The subsidiary of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is currently studying the possibility of opening new routes to popular destinations, such as Singapore and cities in Australia, in 2020.
“Meanwhile, we are still preparing and processing all the administrative requirements for our plan to open a new route to Frankfurt, Germany,” said Citilink vice president corporate secretary Resty Kusandarina in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Citilink Indonesia rolled out its first international route in 2017, connecting Bali’s Denpasar with Dili. This year, the airline is being more aggressive in opening international routes amid a rising trend of travelling abroad.
State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II in September reported a rise in low-cost carrier (LCC) international flights departing from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, since January. The figure signaled a thriving market for overseas travel amid public furor over rising ticket prices on domestic routes.
The company said in a statement that the LCCs operating at the airport had attracted a combined 3.16 million passengers between Jan. 1 and Sept. 20 – a 4 percent increase from the 3.04 million recorded in the corresponding period last year.
Currently, Citilink serves eight international routes in total, namely to Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh and to Kunming in China, among other destinations.
Citilink Indonesia senior manager for corporate communications Fariza Astriny said the airline had received a warm response from passengers on international routes. According to Citilink data, the average seat load factor (SLF) for international routes stood at 54.6 percent, while the most popular routes included those to Penang and Kuala Lumpur, both in neighboring Malaysia.
“We choose routes that are suitable for our target market, which is mostly the millennial travelers. We are also focusing more on opening routes to secondary cities, instead of the biggest ones,” said Fariza.
