Garuda Indonesia agrees to train travel agents

JAKARTA (JP): National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia signed yesterday an agreement with the Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita) on improving travel agents' skills.

Under the agreement, signed by Garuda chief of aviation training Daryanto and Asita chairman Sri Mulyono Herlambang, Garuda will provide training facilities for travel agents.

The agreement, effective for one year, requires Garuda and Asita to jointly arrange modules and curricula for the training.

"Travel agencies handle about 75 percent to 80 percent of air ticket sales in Indonesia. We have to improve our skills, as the growth of air services in the Asia Pacific will increase significantly. This is a chance for travel agencies," Daryanto said.

He said the training programs would focus on air ticketing systems.

"Next year the implementation of a new system of international airfare calculations will start based on a regulation set by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). We must master this new system otherwise we'll be left behind," he said.

Herlambang said Asita's membership included 1,700 travel agents nationwide, employing about 42,500 travel agents.

"I believe the agreement will improve the proficiency of travel agents, including those working outside Java," he said.

Tourism, targeted to become the country's largest foreign exchange earner by 2003, must be supported by qualified travel agents, he said.

He said, besides Jakarta, training would occur in Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi, Medan in North Sumatra and in Bali.

"We plan to hold training sessions four times a year. Each batch will be able to accommodate between 20 and 40 trainees," he said, adding that the first batch would start soon.

The Garuda aviation training center was set up in 1993 on a 6.5-hectare plot in Duri Kosambi, West of here.

Daryanto said the Rp 130 billion (US$55 million) center, had several training programs on commercial, operational, technical and managerial/financial affairs.

He estimated the center would gain Rp 31 billion in revenue this year and Rp 42 billion for 1997.

He said about 13,000 personnel were trained at the center each year: "80 percent of them are Garuda's personnel."

"We have six jet simulators, including those for the Boeing B- 737-300, McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and Airbus A-300-B4. In addition to domestic airlines, a number of overseas air carriers regularly send their personnel to train at Garuda," he said.

He said the foreign airlines leasing the center included Biman Airlines of Bangladesh, Iran Asseman Airlines of Iran, Tunis Air of Tunisia, Finn Air of Finland and SilkAir of Singapore. (icn)