JAL to reduce Indonesia flights

JAL to reduce Indonesia flights

TOKYO: Japan Airlines System Corp. (JAL) said on Thursday it will reduce its flights to Indonesia and France from Tokyo because of sluggish demand, partly because of a possible war against Iraq.

JAL currently operates two separate routes to Jakarta and Denpasar in Indonesia out of Tokyo's Narita International Airport, but these will be combined into a single Narita-Jakarta- Denpasar route starting April 1, JAL spokesman Tatsuo Yoshimura said.

The current 14 scheduled flights will be reduced to seven per week, with the change effective until May 31, Yoshimura said.

Japan's biggest airline will also slash its 10 weekly flights between Narita and Paris to seven for the two-month period, except during the "Golden Week" holiday period of April 24 to May 6, he said.

Yoshimura said the flight cutbacks were the result of sluggish demand amid a global economic slowdown and worries about a possible U.S.-led attack against Iraq. -- AP