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)