Merpati to operate new jet

JAKARTA (JP): Merpati Nusantara Airlines, a subsidiary of the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, will operate a newly- delivered Airbus A-310-300 jet to serve the increasing passenger traffic to Melbourne during the Idul Fitri holidays.

Merpati president, Budiarto Subroto, said here yesterday that the jet would start flying to Melbourne tomorrow, departing Jakarta at 10 p.m. and arriving in Melbourne at 8:30 a.m.

Merpati launched last September its thrice-weekly Melbourne service, as part of a campaign to bolster its image.

"Just within hours of our notification, we have been told by our agents that 75 percent of the new service capacity has been booked," Budiarto said.

Merpati is currently popular just as a "local champion" in domestic feeder outes.

Merpati, which operates various types of aircraft such as A- 310-300s, Boeing B-737-200s, Fokker F-28s, F-27s, ATPs, Casa- 212s, Twin Otters and CN-235s, will receive later this month two more used jets, A-300-600 and A-310-300, which will be operated in new routes including Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok and Jeddah. (icn)