Jakarta (ANTARA) - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia officially launched the Jakarta-Nagoya route by using an Airbus A330 aircraft, with a capacity of 36 business-class seats and 186 economy-class seats.

"This (new) air service has also been a positive step for the company in maintaining the market share of the Japan-Indonesia aviation sector that continues to grow and become more promising," Garuda Indonesia President Director Ari Askhara noted in his official statement here on Monday.

Askhara is optimistic that the Jakarta-Nagoya direct flight would help support the acceleration of the business climate and economic potential between the two countries.

According to Askhara, the number of visits by businesspersons and tourists from Japan to Indonesia also continues to show a significant improvement, especially to several major tourist destinations in Indonesia, one of which is Jakarta, as the largest economic center in Indonesia.

"We certainly hope that the opening of this Jakarta-Nagoya route would further support efforts to accelerate investment growth between Indonesia and Japan, considering that Japan is currently the second-largest investor in Indonesia," Askhara remarked.

The Jakarta-Nagoya flight is a manifestation of the company's commitment to supporting government programs, specifically increasing investment in the manufacturing industry as a program to accelerate national economic growth.

The company optimizes access to air transportation, especially for Indonesia and Japan, as a step to support the government in increasing the tourism potential in Indonesia, with a target of 20 million foreign tourist visits in 2019.

Nagoya, located in Aichi Prefecture, is known as the fourth-largest city in Japan. Nagoya is one of the busiest industrial and manufacturing cities in Japan, making this city a potential market share for Garuda Indonesia.

Progress has been made in the past 57 years in terms of Garuda Indonesia flights to Japan, starting from the launch of the Jakarta-Tokyo route on March 13, 1962.

Translator: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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