Between meeting -- planes, trains and automobiles
Between meeting -- planes, trains and automobiles
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
How do you transport 60 of the most important people in Asia and
Africa?
Arranging safe, reliable and fitting transportation, both for
within Jakarta and for the day trip to Bandung, West Java is one
of the summit organizer's main responsibilities.
In 1955 a total of 143 sedans, 30 taxis and 20 buses were
allocated for the conference. These numbers would be insufficient
for the 2005 summit, given that there are five times more
delegates attending.
In times of "affluence" the government purchased brand new
limousines for its esteemed guests, such as for the 1992 Non-
Aligned Movement Summit. However, these days renting seems to be
the preferred option.
To transport VVIPs, organizers of the summit have rented a
total of 268 vehicles from the Indomobil Group. According to
reports, under the arrangement organizers will be lent the
vehicles free-of-charge, but will cover insurance costs for the
loan period.
These vehicles include 60 Volvo S80, 80 Nissan X-Trail, 120
Nissan Terrano and eight buses.
This does not include other vehicles used for senior
officials.
No additional security devices, such as bullet-proof windows,
have been installed.
Indomobil believes that once the vehicles are returned after
the summit and sold they will have prestige in the people's eyes
as they were once used by a head of state.
For the one-day junket to Bandung, about 180 kilometers south
of Jakarta, heads of state will be flown in using a chartered
Garuda Indonesia airplane.
Five Boeing 737-300s have been readied by the national airline
and outfitted to meet the needs of Sunday's special trip. The
usually 110 seat (16 business and 94 economy class) airplane has
been modified so that it has 32 business class seats and 60
economy class ones.
Garuda Indonesia has also trained experienced staff
specifically for the 20 minute flight to Bandung. They include 14
cockpit crew, 36 cabin staff and 48 ground staff.
For the carrier, the trip also commemorates their achievement
in transporting delegates to the 1955 conference, when Garuda
flew DC-3 propeller planes.
Other officials will make their way to Bandung one day in
advance via the popular railway route, which takes about three
hours.
Despite calls from Bandung officials for tourists to refrain
from traveling to Bandung -- especially using the main roads of
the city -- on Sunday, trains from Jakarta to the West Java
capital are fully booked from Thursday to Monday. A combination
of the summit and the long weekend that starts on Friday may be
one reason for the demand for tickets.