RI, U.S., sign deal on air services<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Tony Hotland, Denpasar\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia and the United States signed on Monday an open-skies
\naviation agreement between both countries, which removes all
\nrestrictions on air services to, from and beyond each other's
\nterritory.<\/p>\n
The new agreement, which replaces an outdated one from 1968
\nthat limited commercial opportunities, eliminates restrictions on
\nhow often carriers may fly, the type of aircraft they may use,
\nand the prices they may charge.<\/p>\n
\"At present, only (national flag-carrier) Garuda has expressed
\nits readiness to fly to the U.S. Garuda may now operate flights
\nto over 40 international airports there,\" said minister of
\ncommunications ad interim Soenarno after signing the agreement.<\/p>\n
Soenarno signed the pact with U.S. Transportation Secretary
\nNorman Y. Mineta. The signing was held prior to the opening of
\nthe fourth transportation ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific
\nEconomic Cooperation (APEC) organization, which runs from July 26
\nthrough July 29 in Bali.<\/p>\n
The signing is the second by Mineta during his current trip to
\nAsia, following the signing of a similar agreement with China in
\nBeijing last Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"Our experience shows that open-air agreements result in not
\nonly an increased number of passengers and businesses, but also
\nbetter and more competitive services at lower prices,\" Mineta
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Soenarno added that Continental Airlines Inc., the fifth-
\nlargest U.S. carrier, would soon add routes to Indonesia, and
\nNorthwest Airline Corp., the fourth-largest, might work in
\ncooperation with Garuda for a new route to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Currently, the only U.S. carrier that flies to Indonesia is
\nContinental Airlines Inc., which flies to Bali.<\/p>\n
Garuda Indonesia spokesman Pujobroto affirmed that the carrier
\nplanned to resume flying to the U.S., but no specific dates nor
\ndestinations had been determined yet.<\/p>\n
\"We stopped flying to the U.S. in 1996 because the route was a
\nreally long one and was not that profitable for us,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The route was from Jakarta to Los Angeles via Denpasar, Biak,
\nand Honolulu.<\/p>\n
Pujobroto also said that Garuda needed to obtain licenses from
\ncountries used as transit points before resuming flights to the
\nU.S.<\/p>\n
Soenarno added that he would also discuss with his counterpart
\nthe matter of enabling Indonesians to obtain more easily visas to
\ngo to the U.S..<\/p>\n
Also on Monday, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency provided
\nthree grants totaling US$1.1 million for Indonesia to build an
\naviation infrastructure that was capable of handling the
\nanticipated growth likely to result from the agreement.<\/p>\n
\"The grants shall be used for air traffic control systems and
\nequipment to help safely manage Indonesia's airspace above the
\nNatuna Islands, to improve the Indonesian airline industry's
\npassenger reservation system through the Airline Computer
\nReservation System Regulation project and to fund security and
\nsafety assessments at four Indonesian airports,\" Mineta said.<\/p>\n
\"This is a challenge for our flight operators because it takes
\na high standard of security and safety to enter and operate in an
\narea like the U.S.,\" said Soenarno, adding that 26 international
\nairports here were ready to be served by U.S. carriers.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-us-sign-deal-on-air-services-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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