Pelangi to link Kuala Lumpur and Bandung

BANDUNG (JP): Malaysia's Pelangi Airways and Berjaya Airways will begin direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and the West Java capital of Bandung starting mid-October.

Pelangi Airways General Manager Captain Mad Zain Bin Hj. Salihin told reporters in Bandung on Wednesday that feasibility studies for the service had been made in recent months.

The service was inaugurated on Wednesday when a DHC 7 aircraft belonging to Berjaya Air, landed at the Husen Sastranegara airport in Bandung with 60 tourists.

According to Salihin, the return economy class service from Kuala Lumpur via Johor Bahru to Bandung will utilize F-50 and Boeing 737 airplanes.

"It takes three hours from Kuala Lumpur to Bandung," he said.

"During preliminary service, we will have three return flights per week," he said, adding that West Java, with its 42 million population had good market potential.

Salihin did not disclose the amount of money invested by Pelangi Airways, which already flies to Pekanbaru, Padang, Medan and Palembang.

He was optimistic that Malaysians' curiosity about Indonesia, especially West Java, which exports significant quantities of produce and textiles, would create good load factors.

Salihin hoped that Indonesia would not impose fiscal tax on tourists and businessmen visiting Kuala Lumpur so that reciprocal tourism would be encouraged.

Before its business collapsed in February 1998, Merpati Airlines served the Bandung-Singapore route three times a week.

The opening of the Kuala Lumpur-Bandung service was welcomed by West Java tourism businesses.

The general manager of Jackal Holidays Tours and Travel, Dadang H. Somamihardja said he expected that with the new service Malaysian tourists would flood Bandung and other resorts in the province. (25/sur)