Garuda to have extra flights on China routes late this year

Indonesian national flag carrier Garuda is in 2008 to conduct extra flights between Jakarta and a number of Chinese cities to meet highly increased demand for air transportation during a long holiday season in China and the Olympic Games in the Chinese capital.

"We are planning to conduct extra flights on routes between Jakarta and a number of cities in China," general manager of Garuda`s branch office in Beijing, Pikri Ilham, said here on Friday.

He said Garuda was at present serving its Jakarta-Beijing route three times a week, its Jakarta-Shanghai route four times a week and its Jakarta-Gaungzhou route four times a week.

But later this year, Garuda would conduct a total of 30 extra flights between Jakarta and the Chinese cities, namely 12 additional flights on its Jakarta-Beijing route, 12 additional flights on its Jakarta-Guangzhou route and 6 additional flights on its Jakarta-Shanghai route.

Pikri said the extra flights would be provided to meet requests from several travel agents in Beijing who foresee a drastic surge in the number of tourists from China to Indonesia and the other way round later this year.

"We have been asked by many travel agents in China to increase the number of our flights because the number of passengers during the Chinese Lunar New Year and the Olympic Games in Beijing will rise," Pikri said.