More flights for Fakfak

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines has added more flights to and from Fakfak, northwest Irian Jaya, from one to four flights a week.

Merpati General Sales Agent in Fakfak, Ferdiana Thie, said on Saturday the airline will service the Biak-Nabire-Kaimana-Fakfak- Sorong route on Sundays and Thursdays, and the reverse route on Tuesdays and Fridays, using a Twin Otter airplane, Antara said.

Passengers traveling on Friday can take advantage of a straight connecting flight from Biak to Jayapura, capital of West Papua, as Irian Jaya is now popularly called.

In spite of the greater flight frequency, there is a long waiting list of 300 passengers for flights out of Fakfak, according to an airline sales staff.

The surge in the number of passengers followed the docking of two PT Pelni's cruise ships, KM Rinjani and KM Pangrango, which serve the Fakfak-Jayapura route. (10)