Merpati halts Kupang-Darwin route

Merpati halts Kupang-Darwin route

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The Merpati Nusantara Airline
(MNA) has decided to halt the operation of direct flights from
Kupang to Darwin in North Australia due to a significant drop in
the number of passengers for the route.

The airliner's general manager, Reynold Simatupang, said on
Friday the decision would take effect starting on Saturday.

He said Merpati had suffered considerable financial losses
over the past three years due to the decline in the number of
passengers on the route.

"On an average single flight, there are only 20 to 30
passengers while the capacity of our Boeing plane is around 96
people," he remarked.

Reynold suspected that the warning issued by the Governor of
Northern Territory and the Australian embassy in Jakarta for
Australian citizens visiting East Nusa Tenggara had prompted the
fall in demand. (30)