Garuda to operate DC-10s on HK route<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Garuda Indonesia yesterday replaced its Airbus
\nA330-300s with McDonnell's DC-10s on its service to Hong Kong
\nbecause they have been temporarily banned there, the airline's
\nspokesman said.<\/p>\n
Arief Hartanto said the airline would continue to run Airbuses
\non other routes because it had not received any other orders to
\nground the jets.<\/p>\n
Garuda announced Monday it would continue to operate A330-300s
\ndespite the Hong Kong aviation authorities's urgent request for
\nit to ground them as Cathay Pacific and Dragonair had done.<\/p>\n
\"Our Airbus A330-300s are fitted with Rolls Royce Trent
\n700\/768 engines while the A330-300s operated by Cathay Pacific
\nand Dragonair use Rolls Royce Trent 700\/772 engines,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Garuda, which has six A330-300s, currently links three
\nIndonesian cities (Jakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar) and Hong Kong
\n19 times per week.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong's civil aviation authority was reported Monday to
\nhave reminded Garuda of the view of Britain's Civil Aviation
\nAuthority (CAA) -- the certifying authority of the Trent 700
\nengine -- that Garuda A330 operations should also be suspended
\nwith immediate effect\".<\/p>\n
The A330-300s' engine problems came to light when Dragonair,
\nCathay's affiliated carrier, flew to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia
\nFriday and had to make an emergency landing at Subic Bay in the
\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
After that Cathay and Dragonair grounded their Airbuses.<\/p>\n
\"Garuda still operates A330-300s to other routes including
\nPerth in Australia; Nagoya, Fukuoka and Osaka in Japan and
\nSingapore,\" Arief said yesterday. He said other countries had
\nnot banned the A330-300s.<\/p>\n
He said Garuda had five DC-10s which were delivered in the
\nlate 1970's.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Cathay's marketing communications manager in
\nJakarta, Ida Bayuni, said yesterday that her company had
\nvoluntarily suspended its A330-300s fleet.<\/p>\n
\"Our number one commitment is to the safety of our passengers
\nand we place this priority ahead of all others,\" she said, adding
\nthat Cathay had 11 A330-300s with Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines.<\/p>\n
Cathay yesterday again suspended 22 flights from Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific, which began serving Indonesia in 1969,
\noperates 20 nonstop flights from Jakarta, Denpasar and Surabaya
\nto Hong Kong every week. The airline used to serve Indonesia with
\nBoeing B-747-200, A330-300 and A340-400 jets.<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific's Airbuses would be back in the air in three
\nweeks, a Cathay executive was quoted as saying in Hong Kong.
\n(icn)<\/p>\n
Cathay -- Page 10<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garuda-to-operate-dc-10s-on-hk-route-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }