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.