Cathay cuts back flights to Bali

Cathay cuts back flights to Bali

Bali's battered tourist industry suffered another severe blow Wednesday, when Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific announced it had cut back flights in the wake of the bombing on the Indonesian island resort.

Cathay suspended three overnight services to the Balinese capital Denpasar from Oct. 19 to the end-November, cutting the number of weekly flights to Indonesia to seven from 10, Cathay spokeswoman Maria Yu said in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

"The three flights were suspended for commercial reasons because of the 50 percent drop in the number of actual and advance bookings to Bali between Oct. 15 and Oct. 30," following the bomb blasts, she said.

Flight schedules to other Indonesian destinations have not been affected, she added.

Many of the tourists who used the route were from Japan or Europe, Yu said.

Following the devastating October 12 explosion in the Kuta area of Bali, in which more than 190 people were killed with hundreds more wounded, most Hong Kong tour operators suspended tours to Bali because tourists feared for their safety, said a spokesman for Hong Kong Travel Industry Council. -- AFP