Indonesia, Hungary to sign agreement on air cooperation
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and Hungary will sign a memorandum of understanding on air transportation to accommodate the increasing number of visitors from Eastern Europe, an executive says.
"I think more tourists from Eastern Europe, including Hungary, will visit Indonesia in the future," director of commerce of the national air carrier Garuda Indonesia, Kussuyono, told reporters after attending a hearing between Commission V of the House of Representatives and Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto here yesterday.
He said that during the four-day visit of Hungarian President Arpad Goncz in Indonesia, which started on Saturday, senior officials of the two countries are scheduled to sign the agreement.
Director General of Air Transportation Zainuddin Sikado said that the routes of air flights between the two countries will be established later.
Kussuyono said that visitors from Eastern Europe usually take Garuda from Vienna.
Meanwhile, an executive of travel agency Setia Tour, Vessela B. Dimitrova, told The Jakarta Post that visitors from Eastern Europe thus far should fly to Singapore before proceeding to Indonesia.
Data from the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications show no significant figure of visitors from Eastern Europe - only 13,543 people in 1992, when the number of tourist arrivals in Indonesia was recorded at 3.06 million.
Qatar
Meanwhile, Sikado said that Qatar Airways will soon start serving Indonesia two times a week.
"The first service will likely start in winter," he said.
He also said that Qatar will fly to South Africa next month to discuss a plant to establish an air agreement with that country.
Indonesia opened its diplomatic ties with South Africa earlier this year.
Sikado said Indonesia is now also discussing with the United States a possible increase in flight services between the two countries.
"We found a deadlock in the previous discussion as the United States wanted four of its airlines to serve Indonesia but would not allow Garuda to serve the Jakarta-Tokyo-Los Angeles route," he said,
Northwest is the only U.S. airline currently serving Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Minister Haryanto said that new routes connecting Singapore and Indonesia by Merpati Nusantara will commence on Oct. 1.
Merpati is a subsidiary of Garuda.
The air agreement between Indonesia and Singapore will be amended on Sept. 29, allowing airlines of the two countries to increase flight services. The amendment will be signed in Yogyakarta, where President Soeharto and Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong will meet.
Haryanto said the planned amendment will allow the opening of Bandung-Singapore and Solo-Singapore routes for Singapore airlines and the involvement of two more Indonesian airlines -- Bouraq Indonesia and Mandala Airlines -- to transport passengers between the two countries.
Three Indonesian airliners, Garuda, Merpati Nusantara and Sempati Air, currently serve routes between the two countries.(icn)