Lion Air, Garuda to fly to Vietnam this month
Lion Air, Garuda to fly to Vietnam this month
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The country's flagship carrier Garuda Indonesia, and local no-
frills airline Lion Air will launch flights to Vietnam starting
this month. For the past five years, no Indonesian airline has
served the route.
Lion Air's maiden flight to Ho Chi Minh City will be on Dec.
19. It will be an extension of its Jakarta to Singapore route,
which started last month.
Flying four times a week, Lion Air will charge US$334 for its
Jakarta to Ho Chi Minh City return ticket, excluding airport tax
and insurance, public relations manager Hasyim Alhabsi told The
Jakarta Post on Thursday.
"Each flight will have a capacity of 152 passengers. We shall
create two classes, business and economy. However, until the end
of the month, we shall offer only economy class," he said.
Meanwhile, Garuda, which is targeting the middle market
upward, will also fly to the city starting Dec. 16.
"We shall fly three times a week to Saigon: every Tuesday,
Friday and Sunday," Garuda spokesperson Pudjobroto told the Post.
Garuda withdrew its Jakarta to Vietnam route in 1997 due to
the regional financial crisis. It had previously served the route
for eight years.
Using Boeing 737-400, the aircraft will be able to carry 134
passengers: 14 in business class and 120 in economy.
"The route will be Jakarta-Singapore-Saigon. We shall transit
in Singapore but there will be no change of aircraft," said
Pudjobroto, referring to the former name of Ho Chi Minh City.
However, he declined to state the price of the Garuda ticket
for the Vietnam route.
Earlier, Lion Air president Rusdi Kirana said the Vietnam
market was one of the most lucrative destinations at the moment,
as many foreign investors were planning to invest in that
country.
"Americans go there mostly for business, while Europeans,
mostly French, travel there as it still has links with its
colonial past," he said.
The increase in the number of people visiting Vietnam has been
caused mainly by the growing attractiveness of the country as an
investment destination, he said.
Pudjobroto concurred.
"The signing of a visa-free agreement for the citizens of both
countries by the two governments in July is expected to encourage
more Indonesians to visit Vietnam," he said.
With upcoming maiden flights to Vietnam by the two airlines,
Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia will be the only Indonesian
airlines flying to Vietnam.
Asked about the competition, Pudjobroto said they were not
worried as Garuda had its own market, which was different to Lion
Air's. "We shall maintain our customary service levels for our
passengers."