Garuda adds cargo service

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned air carrier Garuda Indonesia will cooperate with Korea Airlines to increase to twice a week its cargo service to Seoul and Los Angeles, beginning Sept. 9.

Company head of commercial relations, cargo and promotion, Chandra Giri Wiryawan, said here yesterday that Garuda currently offered a once-a-week Airbus A300 cargo service in cooperation with Korea Airlines.

"Next week, we will start operating an MD11 aircraft to expand the cargo service to twice a week," he said.

He said the A300 and MD11 aircraft had a carrying capacity of 40 tons and 70 tons, respectively.

"Of the total capacity Garuda has a 20-ton allotment on the A300 and 37.5 tons on the MD11," he said.

He said the service would link Seoul-Batam-Jakarta-Seoul-Los Angeles.

"We target manufacturing industries like the shoe and garment industries in Batam," he said, adding that Garuda and Korea Airlines had also forged an alliance to jointly market the cargo service in Indonesia and Korea.

Hang Nadim Airport on Batam Island, Riau, is an international airport for both scheduled and chartered passenger and cargo flights.

Batam, near Singapore, has been developed since the early 1970s as an industrial and tourist zone.

Giri said Garuda also planed to expand its own cargo aircraft service regionally, including to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

"Garuda now has only one B773 jet to operate cargo service domestically," he said.

He said Garuda also had air cargo handling agreements with China Airlines of Taiwan, Martin Air of the Netherlands and Air France. (icn)