Garuda resumes flights

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The chairman of Garuda Indonesian Airways, Soepandi, said over the weekend that the national flag carrier will resume the shuttle flight from Jakarta to Palembang in South Sumatra, to Padang in West Sumatra, and to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, starting this month.

He said the three routes, previously served by a Garuda- Merpati joint service, will be served by Garuda's Boeing-737-400 planes, with capacity of 124 passengers each, daily.

Soepandi said that by reopening the Jakarta-Palembang shuttle flight Garuda expects businessmen in the southern Sumatran city to have better access to international cities through Jakarta.

"We also hope that the project will bring more foreigners into South Sumatra," he said, as quoted by Antara.