Garuda resumes Fukuoka flight

Garuda resumes Fukuoka flight

TOKYO (DPA): Garuda Indonesia on Tuesday resumed regular
service between Bali's capital Denpasar and Japan's southwestern
city of Fukuoka with the arrival of the first such flight at
Fukuoka airport, an airline spokesman said.

Three round-trip flight are scheduled each week, the spokesman
said. The route was suspended in May 1998, mainly because of
Indonesia's political instability.

Tuesday's first flight, an Airbus A33, arrived at around 8
a.m. at Fukuoka airport. Airline and airport officials celebrated
the event with a tape-cutting ceremony.

Indonesia's Bali is one of the most popular destinations for
Japanese tourists. According to Japan's Transport Ministry, a
total of 444,113 Japanese tourists visited Indonesia in 2000, up
120.3 per cent from the previous year. Indonesia ranked 10th in
the number of Japanese tourists visited overseas.

Last summer, Garuda Indonesia operated chartered flights
between Fukuoka and Denpasar for a limited time. The idea of
regular flights developed during that period when the popularity
of Bali among passengers from western and southwestern Japan
became apparent.