Qantas passengers drop 50%

Qantas passengers drop 50%

JAKARTA (JP): Australian airline Quantas said it has suffered
a 50 percent drop in the number of passengers traveling to
Indonesia, largely due to the January riots in tourist
destination Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

Quantas district manager I Made Tantra Widjaya said on
Thursday the recent riots in the city of Mataram in Lombok,
prompted several countries, including Australia, to issue a
travel ban to the island, resulting in Quantas' drop in
passengers to Indonesia.

"With this travel ban, many Australian tourists canceled their
visits to Bali and other Indonesian destinations," I Made was
quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

The island of Lombok, located only miles from Bali, was rocked
by riots last month after a Muslim gathering to protest religious
clashes in Maluku turned violent.

He said the drop in passengers to Indonesia, in particular
Bali, forced Quantas to reduce its flights from Bali to
Australia.

"Quantas now only serves 15 flights a week, from 16 flights
two weeks ago," he said. (03)