Garuda reopens routes to Ho Chi Minh, Beijing<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After being inactive since the 1997 financial crisis, national
\nflag carrier Garuda Indonesia will resume services to Ho Chi Minh
\nCity, formerly known as Saigon, and Beijing.<\/p>\n
Starting early December, Garuda will fly the
\nJakarta-Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City route five times a week, on
\nTuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, with a
\nflight capacity of 134 passengers, Garuda's head of
\ncommunications Pudjobroto said in a statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Currently, people from Indonesia have to fly Singapore
\nAirlines or Vietnam Airlines to go to Ho Chi Minh City. Singapore
\nAirlines flies seven times a week from Jakarta to Ho Chi Minh
\nCity via Singapore, while Vietnam Airlines flies 12 times a week
\nfrom Singapore to the Vietnamese city.<\/p>\n
Pudjobroto said the Jakarta-Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City service
\nhad been demonstrating a positive trend over the past three
\nyears.<\/p>\n
The number of passengers from Jakarta to Ho Chi Minh City grew
\n30 percent over the period with total passengers this year
\npredicted to reach 17,492. Meanwhile, passengers from Singapore
\nto the city has grown by 10 percent annually with the total
\nnumber of travelers expected to reach 105,905 this year.<\/p>\n
Vietnam, which is famous for its textiles and chemical
\nindustry, and rice, rubber and sugar production, also holds
\nprospects for business.<\/p>\n
During the first five months of this year, Indonesian exports
\nto Vietnam reached US$147.9 million, while imports reached $280.2
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
The tourism sector in Vietnam is also growing significantly,
\nattracting about 2.6 million visitors from across the globe last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Last June, the Indonesian government together with the
\nVietnamese government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
\non a free-visa policy for visitors from both countries.<\/p>\n
The MOU is expected to encourage tourism between the two
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the direct flight from Jakarta to Beijing will be
\navailable three times a week starting early next year, said
\nPudjobroto. Each flight will have a capacity of 293 passengers.<\/p>\n
At the moment, Garuda flies three times a week to Shanghai and
\nGuangzhou.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garuda-reopens-routes-to-ho-chi-minh-beijing-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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