Awair International to offer three new routes

JAKARTA (JP): Privately owned airline PT Awair Internasional will open three new routes this month and is awaiting the arrival of its Airbus A310-300 to help service the additional routes, a spokesman of the company said on Friday.

Arifin Hutabarat told The Jakarta Post the airline would begin servicing the Surabaya-Makasar route on Dec. 15, the Jakarta- Denpasar route on Dec. 18 and the Jakarta-Singapore route on Dec. 20.

The airline, which began operations in June this year, will service the Surabaya-Makasar route and the Jakarta-Denpasar route once a day, and the Jakarta-Singapore route three times a day, he said.

"We originally asked to service the Jakarta-Denpasar route three times a day, but the authorities only agreed to once a day, presumably because they think the number of passengers traveling between the two points is not enough to require three flights a day," Arifin said.

He said he regretted the decision as Awair had not only targeted domestic customers, but also foreign visitors traveling on to Bali.

"So those who come to Indonesia with airlines that only stop in Jakarta could change planes to Awair to get to Bali," Arifin said.

A 175-seat Airbus A310-300 aircraft will arrive on Dec. 14 to help with the additional flights, he said.

"So we will be ready to help with the holiday rush this year," Arifin said. (tnt)