KLM airlines to end Surabaya, Bali service<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will cut services to
\nIndonesia later this year as part of a restructuring plan.<\/p>\n
KLM's Jakarta general manager Frans Gruber said yesterday
\nKLM's nine flights a week to Indonesia would be cut gradually to
\nseven flights a week from Nov.1<\/p>\n
KLM flies Boeing B-747-400 aircraft on its Indonesia route.
\nThe airline links Jakarta and Amsterdam via Singapore seven times
\na week and Amsterdam-Singapore-Surabaya-Denpasar twice a week.<\/p>\n
Gruber said that on March 1 KLM would drop Surabaya from the
\ntwice-weekly route and fly Amsterdam-Singapore-Denpasar.<\/p>\n
On June 23 KLM would reduce this to a weekly service, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We will discontinue this service after Nov.1. KLM will serve
\nonly Jakarta-Amsterdam via Singapore seven times per week,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said the Jakarta service was profitable but the one to Bali
\nwas not.<\/p>\n
Gruber said KLM carried 200,000 passengers on its Indonesia
\nroutes last year, an 8 percent increase from 1995.<\/p>\n
KLM's move contrasts with many other overseas airlines which
\nplan to increase their services to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
But Bali Airlines Representative Committee chairman Sukamto
\nsaid the service cut would not hamper international tourist
\narrivals in Bali.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands is one of Indonesia's major sources of
\nEuropean tourists after Britain and Germany. Indonesia's 10
\nbiggest tourist markets are Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia,
\nAustralia, the United States, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands
\nand Korea.<\/p>\n
\"The cut is just temporary, we may double the service
\nsomeday,\" Gruber said.<\/p>\n
He said KLM would be able to accommodate passengers from the
\nNetherlands intending to fly to Surabaya and Bali and because KLM
\nand Indonesian national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia had a
\ncooperation scheme.<\/p>\n
In 1995 Garuda and KLM agreed to expand commercial flight
\ncooperation so the two companies could use double flight numbers
\n(GA\/KL or KL\/GA) on Indonesia-Netherlands routes.<\/p>\n
Garuda has six flights linking Indonesia and the Netherlands,
\nincluding Jakarta-Amsterdam four times a week (with B-747-400s)
\nand Denpasar-Amsterdam (via Medan, North Sumatra, with B-747-
\n200s) twice a week.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ansett Australia announced yesterday it would
\nincrease flights between Australia and Indonesia from six to
\nseven flights a week next month.<\/p>\n
Ansett flies Jakarta-Sydney four times a week and Jakarta-
\nMelbourne twice a week.<\/p>\n
The extra Jakarta-Sydney flight will start March 20.<\/p>\n
Ansett general manager Craig Wallace said Ansett carried
\n97,811 passengers to Jakarta from Australia and Kuala Lumpur last
\nyear, the airlines' first year of flying to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Ansett, the official airline for the Sydney 2000 Olympic
\nGames, also has 10 flights a week to Bali from Australia. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/klm-airlines-to-end-surabaya-bali-service-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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