... it is hoped Garuda could help bridge trade and tourism relations between the two cities...
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has reopened the Jakarta-Taipei flight route as of Thursday to increase trade and tourism. Garuda used to fly to Taipei until 2004.

"With the opening of the route, it is hoped Garuda could help bridge trade and tourism relations between the two cities," the company's sales and marketing EVP Elisa Lumbantoruan said in a statement received by ANTARA here on Friday.

The official opening of the route was symbolically marked by the departure of GA 852 passengers seen off by Lumbantoruan at Gate E4 of Terminal 2 of Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta international airport.

Garuda flies to Taipei every day from Jakarta (by GA 852) at 11.45 pm West Indonesia Time and arrives in Taipei at 6.15am. It returns to Jakarta from Taipei at 9.50am and arrives in Jakarta at 2.10pm using a B737-800NG plane with a seat capacity for 156 passengers consisting of 12 business and 144 economy class passengers.

"Through code share cooperation with China Airlines Garuda Indonesia passengers could later continue to several destinations such as San Fransisco and Los Angeles though its flight service," she said.

She said Garuda Indonesia passengers would also be served by Taiwanese cabin crew.

The re-opening of the route is part of the route development program and Garuda's efforts to increase its service to its customers with more route choices.

In April Garuda opened the Denpasar-Haneda (Japan) route and a domestic route between Bandung in West Java and Surabaya in East Java as well as increasing flight frequency such as from five to six times a day for the Jakarta-Pekanbaru route and four times to five a day for the Jakarta-Batam route.

Garuda this year is expected to receive 21 new planes consisting of four B737-800NG, two A330-200, ten A320 for Citilink (Garuda's unit) and five sub-100 Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen.

Of the total, Garuda has already received one B737-800NG and one A330-200 last February. With the addition, the total Garuda fleet will reach 105 with an average age of 5.8 years. By 2015 the company targets operating 194 planes. 

(D017/H-YH) 

Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2012