"The first flight will operate on January 12, 2019," Eko Baseptriadi of Garuda Indonesia`s Marketing Communication department, said here, Monday.
The new route is expected to help boost tourism industry in the two provinces, he said.
"This is a step taken by Garuda Indonesia to encourage movement of tourists and increase business and economic potential of the two most crowded flight connections in Sumatra," he remarked,
The opening of the new route is also to support the Indonesian Government in its efforts to improve the country`s connectivity, he added.
On November 3, 2018, the Indonesian flag carried opened a new route connecting Pekanbaru and Batam in Riau Islands Province.
Meanwhile, Garuda`s subsidiary, PT Citilink Indonesia, will start operating direct two-way flights on the Kuala Lumpur-Banyuwangi route on December 19, 2018.
Secretary of the Banyuwangi Transportation Agency Ali Ruchi made the statement here on Wednesday, adding that he had also received notification from Citilink that flight tickets for the route had already been sold to prospective passengers and could be ordered online through the website: www.citilink.co.id page.
"Ticket purchases can be done directly online on the Citilink official website or directly at the Citilink counter," he revealed, adding that ordering through other online platforms is still in the process.
As stated on the official website of Citilink, the aircraft from Banyuwangi departs at 8:20 a.m. Western Indonesia Standard time (WIB) and will arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 12:10 p.m. local time, while the aircraft from Kuala Lumpur will depart at 1:20 p.m. local time and arrive in Banyuwangi at 3:10 p.m. WIB.
"The Kuala Lumpur-Banyuwangi flight is estimated to take three hours," Ruchi noted.
The flight connecting Kuala Lumpur to Banyuwangi will be served by an Airbus A-320, with a capacity of 180 passengers.
Reporting by Vera Lusiana, Fardah
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
