Malaysia Airports Holdings MD Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad (right) and Garuda Indonesia
president & CEO Emirsyah Satar (second from right) welcoming guests from a Garuda flight at KLIA.
Sepang, MALAYSIA -- Garuda Indonesia will now fly three times a day between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta from just twice daily, previously.
Travellers from Malaysia topped tourist arrivals to Indonesia last year.
"As a regional hub for both business and leisure travellers, Malaysia is a very important destination for us," said Garuda Indonesia president and chief executive officer Emirsyah Satar.
"Whether it is for business or pleasure, three daily Garuda flights will give passengers the convenience and flexibility when planning a trip to Jakarta," he told reporters after greeting passengers on flight GA816 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) yesterday evening
Also present at the launching ceremony of Garuda's additional daily flights was Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Indonesia Youth & Sports Minister Andi Malarangeng, Indonesia's Social and Culture Minister Suryana Sastra Diredja and Garuda executive vice-president of marketing and sales Arif Wibowo.
Andi noted that last year, only five million passengers travelled between Malaysia and Indonesia. "We see potential for growth as business ties, tourism and sporting activities expand in view of the formation of an Asean Community by 2015," he added.
As Indonesia's national airline, Garuda offers full-service network with main hubs in Jakarta, Denpasar and Makassar. Its fleet of 87 aircraft serves 31 domestic and 19 international destinations.
"With Garuda's additional daily flight, frequent flyers between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta now have a wider choice in their flights.
"This additional flight will also further stimulate passenger movement between Indonesia and Malaysia," said Bashir.
Currently, Malaysia Airlines flies six times daily between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
