Garuda is committed to offering convenience to the people of Sorong."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The easternmost provinces of West Papua and Papua, which were formerly one province called Irian Jaya before they were split into two provinces in 2003, have difficult geographical conditions for transportation services.

Land transportation is not yet effective as the infrastructure, notably roads, are not yet suitable for smooth connectivity among regions within the two provinces. So far, many travelers within the regions have been transported using small planes that could land at airstrips.

Therefore, the countrys flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is planning to increase its flight services in Papua and West Papua in order to provide adequate transportation means for the people of Papua and West Papua.

For West Papua, Garuda is planning to use a wide-bodied Boeing 737-800 aircraft to serve the Sorong-Jakarta route, while for the Papua, it is planning to expand its local flights by opening the Jayapura-Dekai route.

Garuda Indonesia plans to open the Jayapura-Dekai route in Yahukimo District, after it identified a relatively high potential in serving the route.

"We are planning to start flights on the route from Jayapura to Dekai, probably in July 2017," Garudas Sales and Marketing Manager for Jayapura Octavianus J. H. Tampi stated in Jayapura on Monday (Jan 30). According to Tampi, Garuda will use a 70-seater ATR aircraft.

"We have identified the routes potential. Hence, we are planning to start flight services locally in Papua Province," Tampi remarked.

The Garuda manager pointed out that the state-owned airline company will use new aircraft to daily serve the new route to Nop Goliat Airport in Dekai. It plans to fly every day. The route could be Jayapura-Dekai-Timika.

The route will be served with relatively small aircraft; however, for the Sorong-Jakarta route, Garuda will deploy a larger aircraft. In its efforts to increase its services to the people of Papua, Garuda will use wide-bodied Boeing 737-800 aircraft to serve the Sorong-Jakarta route, a Garuda sales manager stated.

Radhitya Prastanika, Garuda Sales Manager for Sorong, remarked in Sorong on Tuesday (Jan 31) that his company was planning to operate Boeing 737-800 to serve the Sorong-Jakarta route next April.

The airlines will use a large aircraft to serve the route to support the governments efforts to offer better access for tourists to the Raja Ampat tourism destination. Raja Ampat is a district in West Papua with Waisai as its capital city.

The Raja Ampat District Administration has been improving infrastructure, facilities and services to support the tourism industry.

According to Yusdi Lamatenggo, head of the Raja Ampat tourism office, an airport will be built on Misol Island. "The Raja Ampat district administration has set a target that by late 2017, aircraft similar to Susi Air planes could land on Misol Island," he noted.

Therefore, Garuda will use Boeing 737-800 aricraft to serve Sorong-Jakarta route. Currently, Garuda is waiting for a letter of permit to land at Sorongs Domine Eduward Osok Airport.

"We are waiting for the official letter from the Domine Eduward Osok Airport authority for allowing a large aircraft to land at the airport," Prastanika said.

According to Prastanika, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which will serve the Sorong-Jakarta route, has a seating capacity of 162 passengers, of which 150 are economy class seats and 12 are executive class.

"Garuda is committed to offering convenience to the people of Sorong," he added.

This year, Garuda Indonesia is planning to increase the number of its flights and start new routes in Papua and West Papua. However, the first priority will be accorded to Boeing 737-800 to serve the Sorong-Jakarta route, he affirmed.

"If the airport authority issues the letter before April, Garuda will be ready to operate its Boeing 737-800 aircraft," Prastanika stated.

In expanding its flight services, the airlines continues to set strategies, particularly to face competition, which will be increasingly stiffer in the coming years.

Earlier in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Garuda President Director Arif Wibowo stated that Garuda had outlined anticipatory steps to face tough competition in the aviation sector in 2017.

Garuda has prepared anticipatory steps in the face of possible oil price hikes in the global market and fluctuations in foreign currencies, Wibowo said on the sidelines of a joint anniversary celebration of 22 state-owned enterprises in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday (Jan 28).

He remarked that as part of its strategies, the national flag carrier has pegged the assumed price of avtur, or aircraft fuel, and has conducted hedging of foreign currencies to anticipate fluctuations.

After all, the global economy, which is forecast to have not yet fully recovered, has a major impact on the aviation business.

Based on the assumption of an increase in the avtur prices, Garuda has fixed an assumed price of 57 US cents per liter.

Oil price is the main factor in the context of cost strategy, as it could have a direct impact on the performance in 2017.

Garuda has also applied hedging in a bid to protect the value of the companys loan payments from fluctuations in the foreign currency exchange rates.

However, Wibowo declined to reveal the value of hedging, by merely saying that the step was intended to protect the companys financial balance from the adverse impact of the weakening of the rupiah.

Wibowo said that despite stiff competition among airlines in 2017, Garuda has set a passenger growth target at 8.7 percent, higher that the aviation industrys projection at 6.9 percent.
(T.A014/INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Reporter: Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2017