Concorde to arrive at RI Show
JAKARTA (JP): For a third time, the world's only supersonic passenger jet will arrive in the city for the Indonesia Air Show 1996.
The manager of British Airways in Indonesia, David H. Jones, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the Concorde will arrive at Soekarno-Hatta airport on June 24 and return to London on June 28.
"Tickets for seats on the flights are now on sale. The airfares are set for first class," he said. "The 100-seat Concorde has just one class on board."
The Concorde will cover the 8,200-mile trip to London in a flying time of 10 hours and 20 minutes. Due to noise restrictions, the aircraft will not fly supersonic over land and will make refueling stops in Colombo and Jeddah.
The fastest subsonic flights by a Boeing B747-400 jet from Jakarta to London currently take 15 hours and 20 minutes.
According to Jones, British Airways currently operates seven Concordes from London to the United States and the Caribbean.
"The aircraft is also used on charter flights worldwide, including the 'Round the World' tours which visit Bali every year," he said.
He said that the Concorde will also be chartered for a charity program by Yayasan Citra Baru, a foundation chaired by Mrs. Benny Moerdani, to fly to Bali on June 26.
A supersonic aircraft has a cruising speed of 1,350 meters per hour (mph) at a height of 55,000 feet and a landing speed which reaches 187 mph. The Concorde, powered with four Rolls- Royce/Snecma Olympus 593s, takes off at 220 knots, compared with 165 knots for most subsonic aircraft.
The Concorde landed in Jakarta for the first time in the 1970s and for a second time in September 1986 when it flew the late French president Francois Mitterand to Indonesia.
The Concorde, its nose lowered to improve pilot visibility during landing, is expected to be a special attraction during the Indonesia Air Show to be held from June 22 to June 30 at Soekarno-Hatta airport.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the air show, Binsar Tobing, said yesterday that 257 parties from 21 nations will participate in the show.
The Indonesia Air Show will feature dynamic and static exhibitions, while some of the world's most entertaining aerobatic teams will grace the skies at the event.
A 5,122-square-meter area and another 2,900-square-meter pavilion have been prepared for an exhibition hall and Indonesian pavilion, respectively.
Tobing said that the nine-day event is open to the public on from June 28 to June 30.
"We expect the public to use public transportation facilities to visit the air show. We have prepared 50 buses for public transportation," he said. "Instead of using private vehicles, people may go to the Senayan parking lot, Gambir and Kemayoran and take a bus." (icn)